Altona Roosters couldn’t be more thrilled that their playing stocks are being plundered.
Six young Roosters have made their way into the professional rugby league and rugby union ranks this summer.
The Roosters may not have reached the NRL Victoria finals, but their player development can be considered a success after Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (New Zealand Warriors), Tony Tumusa (Melbourne Storm) and Kurt Bernard (Gold Coast Titans) earned contracts in the NRL, while Jamayne Taunoa-Brown (Newcastle Knights), Teru Leota and Andreas Livadaras (both Melbourne Rebels), have made under-20 squads.
Roosters president Brandon Taunoa told Star Weekly it was no accident these players had landed on professional lists.
“It’s good to see these kids go on to bigger things,” he said.
“It’s their dream to crack the NRL and Super Rugby.
“They train hard and they do the right things off the field as well as on the field.
“Hard work pays off; they eat well and train well.”
The Roosters have become a destination club for promising young league and union players.
Nicoll-Klokstad, a utility back, Tumusa, an outside back, and Bernard, a forward, are originally from New Zealand but spent their latter teenage years with Altona.
Nicoll-Klokstad arrived at 15 and returns to his homeland to play with the Warriors, while Tumusa stays in Melbourne and Bernard heads to the Gold Coast.
Taunoa-Brown is Brandon Taunoa’s son and a long-time Roosters junior.
He was part of the Storm development squad but had to move to Newcastle’s under-20s after Storm moved its 20s team to the Sunshine Coast in order to tap into Queensland talent.
“He’s been playing league in Victoria since he was four,” Taunoa snr said.
“Storm relocated the under-20s to the Sunshine Coast so a lot of the local kids had other options and have gone away from the Storm now.
“I think it’s disappointing for us in Melbourne, but they’ve still got their 16s and 18s Storm teams and their junior development here.”
It seems Storm’s loss is the Rebels’ gain after Leota and Livadaras crossed to rugby union to play with the Rebels 20s.
The Roosters will have a number of talented youngsters coming through the Storm’s junior development program in 2016.
Meanwhile, Altona has appointed Jason Warr as senior coach for next season.
