Jack is turning heads at Titans

EMERGING TALENT: St John’s College Wood-lawn student and Titans’ Harold Matthews player, Jack Durheim (right), tangles with St Francis Xavier College’s Mat Tomlin in their Arrive Alive Cup match yesterday.

David Nielsen

BUSTLING big man Jack Durheim has stamped himself as a rugby league star of the future after being named the Titans' Harold Matthews Cup player of the year.

It's affirmation that the 16-year-old St John's College Woodlawn student is heading in the right direction as he seeks to graduate to the Titans' SG Ball under-18 team next season.

“(Titans coach) John Cartwright presented it to me so I thought it was a pretty big achievement,” Durheim said of the award.

“I had a bit of a thought that I might get it. Our coach gave player of the match awards every week and I got a few of those so I was pretty confident of getting it.”

Durheim comes from a good pedigree as far as rugby league goes.

His father Jack had a reputation as a tough local first grade footballer and his uncle Tony 'Bull' Durheim played in the forwards for the Gold Coast Seagulls.

Asked about Durheim junior, the Titans' Harold Matthews Cup coach Aaron Zimmerle couldn't speak highly enough of his young charge who, as captain of the side, led them to fourth spot on the ladder.

“He was inspiring to his team-mates and I think out of nine regular season games, he was possibly best on the field in four of those games,” Zimmerle said.

“He streaked the field and finished eight votes clear of the next highest vote-getter in the awards.”

Zimmerle described Durheim, who played lock for the Titans, as an 'old style' forward and likened him to Canberra Raiders legend Brad Clyde.

“He's a workaholic and, like Brad Clyde, he takes you forward and he's the first person to get back off a kick and hit it up,” he said.

“Defensively, he is very strong. He's a throwback to those tough, strong forwards.

“He was our most consistent player and he played well in every game, there were no ups and downs with him.

“He also looks like nothing is a burden and that he enjoys every opportunity of playing at that level.”

Zimmerle said he expected Durheim to go on to bigger and better things with the Titans.

“I would expect him to play SG Ball as a 17-year-old and, if he works really hard over the next two years, to become a permanent part of the Titans' under-20s.”

•YESTERDAY Durheim played a leading role in Woodlawn's stirring 26-6 victory over St Francis Xavier College in the Arrive Alive Cup.