SAUNDERS ANNOUNCES HIMSELF IN A MINUTE
IT took less than a minute for Will Saunders to announce himself as a star of the Mal Meninga Cup, as the young hooker plots to chart a similar path to that of his cousin.
Saunders guided the under18 Tweed Seagulls to a 36-10 triumph over Brisbane Tigers on Saturday, scoring in the opening minute of play and guiding a forward pack led by the imposing Isaiah Scanlan with aplomb.
Having drawn the bye in last week’s opening round, Sam Meskell’s developing men came out of the blocks firing, with the coach full of praise for his crafty rake. Saunders, a product of Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, spent his childhood looking up to cousin and North Queensland Cowboys sensation Tom Dearden, and a strong Cup campaign could begin his own meteoric rise.
His effort follows a 2022 season in which he inspired Currumbin to an under-18s Rugby League Gold Coast premiership during which he finished the grand final’s MVP.
Meskell said despite the lopsided scoreline there was still plenty of finetuning to come, but Saunders had helped show him the early signs were promising for an emphatic season.
“We had really good patches in there particularly in attack but still a lot of work to do with our discipline,” he said.
“We let them back in during the first half when we had the game in complete control but that’s something to work on.
“Baylen Donald was a worker and it was a great reward for him getting a try. I thought our hooker Will Saunders was really good. He got us going forward and picked his times to run really well.
“Our front rower Isiah Scanlan laid that platform early and we played off the back of him.”
The Seagulls’ Cyril Connell Challenge side were meanwhile taken down 46-6 by the same rivals, while the Harvey Norman U19s girls squad went down 3814.
Meanwhile, Burleigh Connell Challenge coach Ryan Gundry praised his side’s resolve in a 1414 draw with Souths Logan, fighting back from conceding two tries in the opening 15 minutes in a palpable salvage mission.
Burleigh’s Meninga Cup side prevailed 36-10, while the U19 girls were victorious 26-0.