Colts 1 club rugby: Meet each team’s heroic halves; Round 2 Team of the week

As important as the set pieces are in rugby, the halfback-flyhalf combination is perhaps the most important given they touch the ball the most.

This year’s Colts 1 competition has an abundandance of fresh faces that have hit the scene in style.

New chums from the Sunshine Coast and Nudgee College have helped Brothers to a 2-0 start.

Country kids like Max Blanch, Far North Queensland kids like Harvey Kachel and local Westside boys like Seb Gardiner and Chrsitian Alexander helped Wests to their first win last weekend against a Norths outfit with boys from Toowoomba, New Zealand, the North side and everywhere in between.

Here we get know this year’s halves pairings ahead of round 3 on Saturday.

It is a round that pits a travelling GPS up against a 2-0 Bond outfit. Easts host a plucky Souths side aiming for win No.1.

Sunnybank welcome Wests and UQ play away at Norths, with both Sunnybank and UQ chasing their first wins.

MEET COLTS 1 CLUB RUGBY’S HEROIC HALVES OF 2026

GPS GALLOPERS

SEP VAN DEN BOOM AND COOPER BROWN

GPS halfback Sep Van den Boom is of Dutch heritage and played well, with toughness and sharp service, on Saturday in a losing side.

In the absence of Reds under-19s scrumhalf James Prole (ACL) — who was ruled out in the week leading into round 1 — GPS are calling on their depth and specficially Van den Boom to fill that big void.

From the The Bredase Rugby Club in the Netherlands, Van den Boom has come to Ashgrove and is capable of playing No. 9 and centre this season.

It is an unlikely Yoku Road halves pairing also involving flyhalf Cooper Brown, a Toowoomba product who has followed a few Toowoomba Grammar mates to the GPS club.

Brown, who played representative rugby league in the past for the Western Clydesdales, is a classy player with a dangerous running game and good off-the-cuff thinking.

A potential three-year colt, Brown played for the Gatton Hawks up on the Downs, and in the First XV, before moving to the big smoke with his mates to continue his rugby journey.

BROTHERS

JOE POST/ KOBY KELLAND AND ROHAN NICHOL/ FLETCHER AUSTIN

Brothers, 2-0, are already one victory away from equalling their win tally from last year.

They are a new-look side with superb additions coming from within, and the fertile fields of the Sunshine Coast.

Joe Post is the returning halfback who last year caused headaches with his scheming running game near the line and uncanny support play when a teammate had made a break.

Post was a two-season First XV No. 9 at Ipswich Grammar before bringing his nippy tendencies to Crosby Park.

Brothers’ reserve scrumhalf is the livewire Koby Kelland. A high-calibre player, Kelland comes from the Sunshine Coast Brothers club and Siena Catholic College where he was a Queensland Schoolboys high achiever.

A potential three-year colt, Kelland caught the eye with a dynamite running game during the 2024 Emerging Reds Cup at Ballymore.

Brothers also have depth in the flyhalf position. Fletcher Austin, A three-year First XV playmaker from Churchie and a Brothers junior, played almost the entire game last Saturday and had a hand in multiple tries.

Starting No. 10 Rohan Nichol was blue carded early in the game after suffering a concussion when making a one-on-one tackle.

This weekend’s bye for Brothers comes at a good time for Nichol, who like Kelland, hails from the Sunshine Coast.

Nichol was a leading Sunshine Coast Grammar flyhalf-centre who played in the Brothers under-16s team that won the BJRU competition in 2024.

With Post, Kelland, Nichol, Austin and others capable, The Brethren will be well serviced in the halves.

However, on Saturday, Brothers actually looked most dangerous in broken play, with Brock Coombes’ counter-attack from fullback pulling GPS all over the place.

WESTS

HARVEY KACHEL AND TOBY KENNEDY

Wests have a quality halves pairing of their own.

Harvey Kachel is the comeback kid from Cairns whose understanding of the game, and love for it, reached new bounds last year when he captained the Queensland Schoolboys.

Speaking with Kachel in Brisbane before the Sunshine Coast tournament, he said spending time away from the game injured allowed him to recapture his passion for it. The small but superb scrumhalf was key in Wests’ 51-21 win over Wests in round 2.

Kachel, a Cairns junior from the JCU Mariners club, is reuniting this season with his 16A’s partner at Brisbane Boys’ College, Toby Kennedy.

Kachel and Kennedy were BBC’s halves back in 2023 when Kachel boarded at the Toowong school. However he went back home to finish his schooling at St Augstine’s College in Cairns.

It is somewhat of a homecoming for these two, playing together again for the first time in three years.

Kennedy hails from the North Ward Sandcrabs in Townsville. He, like Wests forward marvel Will Pascoe, moved from North Queensland to Brisbane for his later high school years to play in the presitigous GPS.

Kennedy was BBC’s First XV flyhalf last year and hasn’t gone far to Sylvan Road for his dose of footy in 2026.

Both were influential in Wests scoring a half century of points last Saturday to get the engine started.

NORTHS

JACK BROWN AND NED SMITH/ CALE MAURICE

Norths have one of Queensland’s finest age-group halfbacks in Jack Brown.

From Toowoomba, Brown brings pace, sharp instincts and a high rugby IQ. He played three seasons of First XV rugby at TGS which is no mean feat.

He adds rhythm and nippy running near the ruck in attack and has a big engine. The blonde-haired Toowoomba Bears product will find the breadbasket of Ned Smith and Cale Maurice this season.

Flyhalf Ned Smith got his Colts 1 run on debut in round 1 after playing well in Colts 2 last year.

The steady Smith is originally from Townsville where he had played A grade footy for North Ward.

The Townsville Grammar old boy has performed strongly to start the season, with reinforcements coming in the form of Fijian Under-20s selection Maurice.

Maurice was the Colts 1 playmaker in 2025 and has been away from the group while preparing for the World Rugby Junior World Championship.

From Darwin and schooled at Toowoomba Grammar, Maurice has been a young man on the move during his early years.

Rugby will take him to more places this year, like Georgia for the World Cup.

Originally playing as a front rower in his juniors before transitioning into playmaker, Maurice is a dynamic flyhalf-halfback of Fijian heritage.

The Swampdogs Rugby Union Club junior qualified for Fijian representation through his grandmother.

Smith looms as the primary No.10 for Norths given Maurice will be pressing his case for Fiji under-20s honours in the near future.

UQ

COOPER STEWART AND CHARLIE O’CONNELL

UQ have another unique halves pairing in Sydney slicker Cooper Stewart and Norths Eagles junior Charlie O’Connell.

Stewart was a bit of a halfback sensation in last year’s CAS competition in New South Wales, playing with distinction for Waverley College.

He scored tries, set plenty of them up and showed his attacking ability on Saturday in a gripping battle against Easts.

Stewart was quickly picked for the Reds Super Rugby Next Gen side upon his move to the Sunshine State and has shown why just two rounds into the club season.

It’s a good get for UQ after the club had a player of Tafito Ah-Ki’s calibre over the past two years.

Stewart is to link up with No. 10 O’Connell in a combination sure to blossom with time. Queensland rugby lovers will remember O’Connell’s sniping running game during his time at Nudgee College.

O’Connell moved to Canberra after winning two First XV titles with Nudgee in 2023 and 2024, keen on making the Brumbies under-19s team.

O’Connell was a near miss on that squad after playing both first grade and colts 1 at family club Canberra Royals.

The-goalkicking O’Connell is back after a year living in the nation’s capital with Souths first grade winger Paddy McInally and Australian under-20s squad member Cooper Eagle.

O’Connell made his Hospital Cup debut in round 1 off the bench at halfback.

Watch this space.

EASTS

ALFIE BOWMAN AND SAM MCGAHAN

Easts are blessed to have two high-class rookies in Alfie Bowman and Sam McGahan steering the ship back towards the finals.

McGahan took Easts to the grand final last year with uncanny flyhalf play, including a big boot and great direction and organisation under pressure.

McGahan had Caden Griffiths then (2025) and now he has Alfie Bowman, who at times resembled a mini-Wallaby during his senior year at Churchie.

Bowman was the class halfback of the GPS and over the last 18 months he has represented the Reds under-16s, under-18s, Next Gen under-20s and also the Australian under-16s and 18s.

Born in 2008, Bowman is the baby of the Easts squad with the most representative experience. His ability to find the breadbasket is second to none, as is his box kick.

McGahan will use this to get the Tigers into scoring positions this year. McGahan’s father Tony was a first grader at Easts and was the club’s general manager up until this season. Moses Rauluni is now the GM.

Fun fact about McGahan: His identical twin brother Joe is having a sublime season in the centres and at second row for the Easts Tigers in the elite Meninga Cup rugby league competition.

The McGahan boys were Gregory Terrace standouts for years in their famous rugby program.

SOUTHS

LAIRD SYMONS AND MAX BOLTON

Souths have a slightly less established halves pairing in Laird Symons and Max Bolton.

Both boys have started strong through two games, with Symons following in the footsteps of first grade co-captain Rourke who also played Colts 1 earlier this decade at Souths.

Symons is actually a UQ Junior Heavy who followed his older brother to Chipsy Wood Oval. He bided his time in Colts 2 last year with Sunshine Coast product Jimmy Jackson the starting No.9. However Symons has clean air in 2026 to strut his stuff and he has done so across the first two rounds.

His flyhalf, Max Bolton, is an impressive young player who just gets rugby union. He has a hard edge which sets him apart.

Bolton has scored twice in two games after trying his best to keep an injury-ridden Iona College First XV competitive in last year’s AIC competiton.

Bolton comes from the mighty Wynnum Bugs where he played more than 10 years of junior rugby.

Symons and Bolton have a task ahead of them on Saturday against Bond, with a maiden win front of mind for Souths’ new combination.

It’s worth noting Finn Mackay is eligible for Colts although he will spend most of his time with the Australian under-20s and Souths’ first grade outfit this winter.

BOND UNI

MATT SMITH/ KOBI NOUANRASY AND CALLUM SIMPSON

Returning serve on Saturday against Souths will be scrumhalf Smith and flyhalf Simpson.

Smith was a colts Mr Fix It in 2025, playing played Colts 1, Colts 2, making a first grade appearance and starting in the second grade grand final at Ballymore.

From Sydney originally, Smith is the son of Bond Colts 2 coach Daniel and gets the job done without a fuss at Bond. Sharp and snappy service has earnt him a start at this level.

There is another quality scumhalf in waiting, Bond junior colts premiership winner Kobi Nouanrasy, who will also have a say in how the Bull Sharks go this year.

Nouanrasy has utility value because he can play elsewhere in the backline, but it is in the No. 9 jersey where the King’s Christian College old boy got his call-up for the Reds Under-16s back in 2024.

Flyhalf Simpson, from the Cyclones club and Somerset College, is playing in his fourth colts season.

It means Bond have a battle-tested No. 10 with a grand kicking game and calm temperament.

Bond University’s John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship holder in 2025, Simpson is a bigger body who was once a rip-and-tear centre but now pulls the strings as Bond’s playmaking maestro.

SUNNYBANK

STAN KEATS AND DAN KAPUTIN

Sunnybank have a new-look halves pairing as well. Last year it was halfback Francis Pepe and Joe Cummins, with the flyhalf position changing quite often.

In round 1 of 2026, it was Wests convert and Sunshine Coast rugby junior Stan Keats who showed his class at halfback.

A former Reds under-18s selection, Keats looks like a young man on a mission this year. He has one of the more electric running games in this competition.

Behind Keats is three-year St Edmund’s College halfback Pat Albion, a very capable player who like Keats, can play flyhalf well.

Keats is coming off a premiership season with Wests and his halves partner is Dan Kaputin.

The tall Kaputin was coached up well at Nudgee College and has a good turn of foot.

COLTS 1 ROUND 2 TEAM OF THE WEEK

15. Brock Coombes (Brothers)

14. Will Dennis (Easts)

13. Jacob Lama (Bond)

12. Max Angove (Bond)

11. Nick Cordingley (Brothers)

10. Max Bolton (Souths)

9. Cooper Stewart (UQ)

8. Angus Kelly (UQ)

7. Riley Canavan (GPS)

6. Adam Latham (Brothers)

5. Hayden Keldie-Genner (Bond)

4. Declan McGuire (Easts)

3. Gavin Wilson-Tyers (UQ)

2. Harry Solofa (Wests)

1. Lucas Bakker (UQ)

Reserves: Liam Robinson (Brothers), Oliver Nasser (Easts), Blaze Moana (Bond Uni), Max McKerrow (Wests), Atticus Richter (Wests), Seb Gardiner (Wests), Jaziah-Hiva Paipe-Roebeck and Carlos Ka (Norths), Brock Powell (Norths), Harvey Kachel (Wests), Ky Morris (Bond), Callum Simpson (Bond), Huw Griffiths (Souths), Archie Ilott and Trent Picot (Souths), Jude Knapp (GPS), Cooper Brown (GPS).

Originally published as Colts 1 club rugby: Meet each team’s heroic halves; Round 2 Team of the week