Kiwi Teenager joins Brumbies
TRANSFER NEWS: Teenage star Noah Lolesio has signed a two-year deal with the Brumbies.
Lolesio has inked a Development Contract deal with the club that will see him become a member of the Wider Training Squad at the end of his initial year with the Super Rugby outfit.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, but educated on the Gold Coast, Lolesio was selected for the Brumbies Runners earlier in the season and is a part of the Brumbies Rugby Academy.
The young centre enjoyed a stellar 2018 Griffin Cup competition in which he crossed for six tries and registered 32 points as the Vikings won their fourteenth Cup Final from 22 attempts in a terrific denouement to the local club rugby season at Viking Park in Erindale.
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to sign for the Brumbies and to further my rugby education at one of the best Super Rugby clubs in the competition,” Lolesio commented.
“This season has been very good for me on a personal level and for the Vikings and it was brilliant to end the year by winning the John I Dent Cup. I feel my form has been good and I am looking forward to learning plenty more within the Brumbies training environment.
“I have had a little taste of the culture at the club through being part of the Brumbies Academy and getting some game-time with the Runners earlier this year and am delighted to be in a position to take that next step on my rugby journey,”
The swashbuckling centre is another young signing who has come through the Academy pathway with Head Coach Dan McKellar looking forward to working with Lolesio.
“What struck me about Noah is that from Day One, when he had just left school and he came in to do pre-season training, was his confidence, communication and knowledge and his willingness to share that despite being an 18-year-old kid,” McKellar commented.
“He had no issue with voicing his opinion, which is important, and he always did it with respect. He came here mainly as a twelve but has played a lot of rugby for his club at ten and put in some excellent performances.
“I thought he was tremendous in the both the John I Dent Cup Preliminary Final and Grand Final. He sees space well, has very good core skills, a catch-pass game, and he is someone who plays eyes-up football and If he sees an opportunity he will take it.
“He directed them [Vikings] around the park well in the Final and to be awarded man of the match in a game in which there was a lot of good performers says a lot about his quality. He will need to say grounded, have a good NRC with the Vikings and Brumbies under-19 and keep working on his game but he has huge potential,”
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