Five Junior Wallabies stars join former All Blacks duo at Reds

The Queensland Reds have secured the services of five Junior Wallabies stars, as they continue to build their squad under new head coach Les Kiss.

After announcing the signing of two All Blacks props, another five Junior Wallabies have committed to the Reds.

Former New Zealand props Alex Hodgman and Jeff Toomaga-Allen will ply their trade in Brisbane for the next two years, and they’ll be joined by some promising young talent at the club.

Along with Australian U20 representative Massimo De Lutiis, who inked a deal with the Reds earlier this week, another five up-and-coming talents have signed on at Ballymore.

Junior Wallabies Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Max Craig, Tim Ryan, John Bryant and Trevor King have committed their futures to Queensland Rugby.

Craig, Ryan, Bryant and King are set to join the Reds in 2024, while Brisbane Boys’ College Old Boy McLaughlin-Phillips will join the full-time squad.

“We’re extremely pleased to have signed Harry, Max, Tim, John and Trevor,” Reds coach Les Kiss said in a statement.

“All five have impressed us at club and representative level and we believe they have bright futures in the Queensland jersey.

“We’re looking forward to seeing them develop on and off the field as part of our squad at Ballymore.”

McLaughlin-Phillips had a Colts Rugby season to remember with Brisbane club Souths last year. The 19-year-old was impressive, to say the least, and was named the Queensland U20s Player of the Year.

The flyhalf also represented the Magpies in Queensland Premier Rugby this year, before playing both first-five and fullback for the Junior Wallabies in South Africa.

But before heading overseas with the team, McLaughlin-Phillips starred in the Junior Wallabies’ 92-17 demolition of the Australian Barbarians in Sydney.

“He’s a good talent,” coach Nathan Grey told Rugby.com.au. “It’s great to have that flexibility in the backline.”

It’s fair to say that McLaughlin-Phillips, who could potentially play in a backline alongside the likes of James O’Connor, Jordan Petaia and Suliasi Vunivalu, is a player to watch.

Max Craig is another player with a wealth of potential. The hooker finished equal second for try scoring in Queensland Premier Rugby – scoring 12 tries in just eight games.

But what makes that stat even more impressive is that Craig missed a decent chunk of the campaign due to his Junior Wallabies commitments.

Fellow Junior Wallaby Tim Ryan is a winger with pace to burn. The outside back started four matches for the Australian side in South Africa, and crossed for two tries.

During his first full season in Queensland Premier Rugby with Brothers, Ryan has scored 10 tries in as many matches. For Reds fans, that kind of strike rate is nothing short of exciting.

The final two Reds-bound Junior Wallabies are loose forward John Bryant and prop Trevor King.

Bryant trained with the Reds during pre-season earlier this year, and went on to play in four of the Junior Wallabies’ five matches in South Africa.

As for King, the front rower was picked for the Junior Wallabies in his first year out of school – he’s only 18 years old.

King played for Downlands College in Toowoomba during his high school days, and is now representing Souths. The prop made his Queensland Premier Rugby debut for the Magpies at just 17 years of age.