# Queensland under-18 rugby league team

The Queensland Under-18 rugby league team, also known as Queensland Under-18s or Queensland U18, represents Queensland in the sport of rugby league at an under-18 age level. Since 2008, the team has played an annual fixture against the New South Wales Under-18 team as a curtain raiser to a State of Origin game. The team features players selected from Queensland's premier under-18 rugby league competition, the Mal Meninga Cup. They are administered by the Queensland Rugby League.

## History

Prior to 2008, junior interstate matches were contested at under-17 and under-19 levels. In 2008, with the advent of the National Youth Competition, the age levels switched to an under-16 and under-18 format to keep in line with the NSWRL's existing SG Ball Cup and Harold Matthews Cup competitions and the QRL's Mal Meninga Cup and Cyril Connell Cup competitions, which would begin in 2009.
Queensland suffered defeat in the first four under-18 Origin fixtures, not winning a game until 2012. The 2012 team, which featured future NRL players Anthony Milford, Kodi Nikorima and Lloyd Perrett, held on to defeat New South Wales 24–18 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Queensland would suffer two more defeats in 2013 and 2014 before picking up their second win in 2015, defeating New South Wales 22–18 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Queensland snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory in 2019.

## Players

Players selected for the Queensland under-18 team are usually contracted with a National Rugby League (NRL) side but play in either the Mal Meninga Cup, Hastings Deering Colts, Jersey Flegg Cup or Intrust Super Cup competitions. In 2008, before the Mal Meninga Cup began, players were selected from the under-18 representative carnival in Proserpine. Each pre-season the Queensland Rugby League will select an under-18 squad featuring players in contention for the mid-season fixture. The squad participates in a weekend camp at the Queensland Academy of Sport.

### 2020 squad

The 34-man training squad selected for the 2020 season:
| Name | Position | Club |
| Lachlan Adamson | Hooker | Burleigh Bears |
| Ediq Ambrosyev | Hooker | Tweed Heads Seagulls |
| Jake Baigrie | Second-row | CQ Capras |
| Jake Bourke | Five-eighth | Townsville Blackhawks |
| Blake Cesari | Centre | Western Mustangs |
| Abai Chatfield-Mooka | Prop | Townsville Blackhawks |
| Jayden Clarkson | Prop | Canberra Raiders |
| Selwyn Cobbo | Centre | Wynnum Manly Seagulls |
| Caleb Esera | Second-row | Canberra Raiders |
| Grand Hagai | Wing | Newcastle Knights |
| Riley Hall | Prop | CQ Capras |
| Israel Higgins | Centre | Tweed Heads Seagulls |
| Jack Howarth | Second-row | Easts Tigers |
| Jayden Hunt | Centre | Norths Devils |
| Peyton Jenkins | Halfback | CQ Capras |
| Ezra Mam | Five-eighth | Souths-Logan Magpies |
| Jeremiah Nanai | Second-row | Townsville Blackhawks |
| Shaun Packer | Hooker | Western Mustangs |
| Byron Parnell | Centre | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Brendan Piakura | Second-row | Tweed Heads Seagulls |
| Braythen Porter | Prop | Norths Devils |
| John Radel | Prop | Wynnum Manly Seagulls |
| Tyrone Sa'U | Fullback | Parramatta Eels |
| Xavier Savage | Centre | Canberra Raiders |
| Samuel Shannon | Prop | Burleigh Bears |
| Damon Somerville | Second-row | Burleigh Bears |
| Brocco Uhrle | Prop | Newcastle Knights |
| Xavier Va'A | Prop | Western Mustangs |
| Isaiah Vailalo | Prop | Townsville Blackhawks |
| Keegan Vandenberg | Centre | Canberra Raiders |
| Sam Walker | Halfback | Sydney Roosters |
| Reece Walsh | Fullback | Tweed Heads Seagulls |
| Ragarive Wavik | Fullback | Townsville Blackhawks |
| Keanu Wright-Dunrobin | Five-eighth | Western Mustangs |

### Notable players

Since 2008, twenty-two former Queensland under-18 players have gone onto represent Queensland at State of Origin level:
* Jai Arrow
* Patrick Carrigan
* Xavier Coates
* Reuben Cotter
* Tom Dearden
* Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
* David Fifita
* Dane Gagai
* Tom Gilbert
* Coen Hess
* Valentine Holmes
* Ben Hunt
* Ethan Lowe
* Andrew McCullough
* Josh McGuire
* Anthony Milford
* Michael Morgan
* Justin O'Neill
* Joe Ofahengaue
* Josh Papalii
* Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
* Murray Taulagi

## Results
### 2008

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2008 State of Origin series.
* 11 June 2008
| Queensland U18 | 12 – 34 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Gerard Beale 1 Pat O'Hanlon 1 Goals Jordan Rankin 2 | Report | Tries Matthew Wright 3 Lachlan Coote 1 Albert Kelly 1 Mitchel Johnson 1 Goals Lachlan Coote 5 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

### 2009

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2009 State of Origin series.
* 24 June 2009
| New South Wales U18 | 24 – 6 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Josh Portlock 2 Nathan Massey 1 Joseph Roqoko 1 Goals Chad Townsend 4 | Report | Tries Michael Morgan 1 Goals Jordan Rankin 1 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Robert Brown

### 2010

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2010 State of Origin series.
* 16 June 2010
| Queensland U18 | 18 – 22 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Kirisome Auva'a 2 Lachlan Maranta 1 Aaron Whitchurch 1 Goals Kyle Feldt 1 | | Tries Lachlan Burr 1 Nathan Green 1 Alex McKinnon 1 Goals Jacob Miller 1 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Peter Gough

### 2011

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2011 State of Origin series.
* 15 June 2011
| New South Wales U18 | 16 – 6 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Sam Coster 1 Michael Lichaa 1 Kyle Lovett 1 Goals Curtis Sironen 2 | | Tries Tautau Moga 1 Goals Anthony Gadd 1 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney

### 2012

Played as a curtain raiser to Game III of the 2012 State of Origin series.
* 4 July 2012
| New South Wales U18 | 18 – 24 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Mitchell Moses 1 Tyrone Phillips 1 Jake Trbojevic 1 Goals Clinton Gutherson 3 | Report | Tries Caleb Timu 2 Luke Bateman 1 Patrick Kaufusi 1 Goals Anthony Milford 4 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Matt Noyen

### 2013

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2013 State of Origin series.
* 26 June 2013
| Queensland U18 | 6 – 56 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Ellery Tusa 1 Goals Jayden Nikorima 1 | Report | Tries Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3 Jackson Hastings 2 Alex Johnston 2 Sione Mata'utia 2 Zach Dockar-Clay 1 Michael Morgan 1 Goals Jackson Hastings 6 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Michael Gordon

### 2014

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2014 State of Origin series.
* 18 June 2014
| New South Wales U18 | 24 – 10 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Matthew Dufty 2 Lachlan Croker 1 Latrell Mitchell 1 Tom Trbojevic 1 Goals Jackson Hastings 2 | Report | Tries Lindsay Collins 1 Kieran Duffin 1 Goals Cooper Bambling 1 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Liam Nicholls

### 2015

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2015 State of Origin series.
* 17 June 2015
| New South Wales U18 | 18 – 22 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Ryan Papenhuyzen 1 Curtis Scott 1 Reimis Smith 1 Goals Brock Lamb 3 | Report | Tries Joshua Fauid 1 Tristan Hope 1 Thomas Mikaele 1 Jaydn Su'A 1 Goals Joshua Fauid 3 |
* MCG, Melbourne Referee: Jarrod Cole

### 2016

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2016 State of Origin series.
* 22 June 2016
| Queensland U18 | 32 – 26 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Waylyn Chase 3 Corey Allan 1 Kobe Tararo 1 David Fauid 1 Patrick Carrigan 1 Goals Waylyn Chase 2 | Report | Tries Zac Lomax 2 Tui Afualo 1 Isaac Lumelume 1 Ryan Papenhuyzen 1 Samuel Radovu 1 Goals Zac Lomax 1 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Nick Pelgrave

### 2017

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2017 State of Origin series.
* 21 June 2017
| New South Wales U18 | 35 – 28 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Luke Metcalf 3 Sebastian Kris 2 Ethan Parry 1 Goals Zac Lomax 5 Field Goals Zac Lomax 1 | Report | Tries Logan Bayliss-Brow 1 Eddie Blacker 1 Ronaldo Mulitalo 1 Treymain Spry 1 Murray Taulagi 1 Goals Travis Turnbull 4 Field Goals |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Darian Furner

### 2018

Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the 2018 State of Origin series.
* 6 June 2018
| New South Wales U18 | 16 – 10 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries: Bronson Xerri 1 Jason Saab 1 Stefano Utoikamanu 1 Goals: Jock Madden 2 | 1st: 0 – 6 2nd: 16 – 4 | Tries: 1 Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 1 David Fifita Goals: 1 Tanah Boyd |
* MCG, Melbourne Referee: Keiren Irons

### 2019

Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the 2019 State of Origin series.
* 5 June 2019
| Queensland U18 | 34 – 12 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries: Fanitesi Niu 2 Xavier Coates 1 Alofiana Khan-Pereira 1 Jake Simpkin 1 Reece Walsh 1 Goals: Josh James 5 | Report | Tries: 1 Sione Fainu 1 David Hollis Goals: 2 Jayden Sullivan |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Daniel Schwass