The Bull Sharks’ march to the minor premiership has caught the eye of Queensland selectors with a trio of Colts 1 players rewarded for their standout seasons with selection in the Reds squad for the Super Rugby U19s.
Forwards Kenneth Harris and Keanu Rasch, along with backline weapon Jackson Jury, have been named in the squad, while front-rower Jake Leck and lock Blaze Moana earned recognition as shadows.
It’s a strong endorsement of the Colts 1 program, coached by former All Black Rico Gear, which has been the benchmark of the competition in 2025 — claiming the minor premiership and preparing for a preliminary final showdown against Wests on Sunday.
Bond University first grade assistant coach and acting head of rugby, Sean Hedger, said the selections were particularly special because the players were self-made talents rather than products of the traditional schoolboy pathways.
“Jackson, Kenny and Keanu haven’t come through the Brisbane private school system, so they started from a long way back,” Hedger said.
“Their consistent hard work and solid performances in Colts rugby has paid off. Blaze and Jake also deserve recognition for being named as shadows. The Bull Sharks Colts scrum has been dominant all season and they have been a big part of that.”
All five players have featured regularly in Gear’s post match reports throughout the season.
He recently lauded Jury for being a constant threat with ball in hand.
“Jackson is a dangerous player,” Gear said.
“He’s got really good footwork, he breaks the line a lot and he’s got a massive boot, so he’s got a lot of good tools there.”
Harris, meanwhile, has earned his coach’s admiration for his reliability.
“Kenny does a tonne of work and really batters his body every week,” Gear said.
“We always know exactly what we are going to get from him because he does it every week.”
Gear also praised Leck’s development and versatility.
“He is fit and he has a great workrate,” he said. “His scrummaging is really good, his set piece is strong, he can run the ball and is pretty mobile and can play a bit like a loose forward at times.”