Broncos great Lote Tuqiri has declared a pair of code converts have the tools to emerge as NRL stars, as his former club determines the future of the two key men.
Few have made the swap between rugby league and rugby union better than Tuqiri, who claimed the 2000 premiership with Brisbane before becoming a Wallabies World Cup sensation.
Now an assistant coach with Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup, the retired flyer of 67 Wallabies and six State of Origin caps believes his new proteges – Glen Vaihu and Floyd Aubrey – will land on NRL radars.
Lote Tuqiri in full flight for Souths in 2014.Credit: Getty Images
After the Melbourne Rebels were axed from the Super Rugby Pacific competition, Vaihu finished last season with the Magpies – playing four games in which he scored two tries and averaged 119 running metres and 4.5 tackle busts per outing. He was rewarded with a train-and-trial opportunity with the Broncos before Christmas.
Aubrey, meanwhile, bid farewell to the Queensland Reds with a hat-trick in Japan against Saitama Wild Knights before launching his quest for an NRL berth without any guarantees.
Tuqiri told this masthead the pair had impressed under head coach Karmichael Hunt, and the fact they left professional systems for a new dream spoke volumes about their characters.
“It takes a good mentality to do that; to go back to a semi-professional set-up and try to make your way up again,” Tuqiri said.
“Yes, they’re young enough, but I really commend them, and they’ve made every post a winner, those two. They’ve assimilated really well.”
Amid the Broncos’ salary-cap juggling act to retain star backs Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo – both off contract this year – Tuqiri believes the Souths Logan duo will impress for full-time opportunities among the game’s elite.
“Definitely, they’ve obviously got to wrap their head around what’s going on, but definitely, both of them. I think they’ll appreciate the more space they get out wide, just with the defences being back 10 metres,” he said.
Glen Vaihu tries to tackle Langi Gleeson during his Melbourne Rebels days.Credit: Getty
“Glen’s obviously played really well for us, and he’s earned that train and trial, so they’ve had a good look at him up the top there.
“When he’s come back to us, he’s had a great attitude, he trains hard. He’s been in a professional system for a while.
“Floydy is the same. Hopefully, he can put his hand up for some bigger honours. I’m hopeful for both of them to go really well in rugby league.”
While Vaihu has emerged as a centre prospect, Tuqiri believes Aubrey will not be confined to the wing position that garnered him two Reds’ Super Rugby caps.
Floyd Aubrey after scoring a hat-trick for the Queensland Reds in Japan.Credit: Jim Tucker
The 21-year-old has speed to burn, but the Brisbane champion feels he needs to get his hands on the ball as much as possible – opening the door for a fullback berth.
Souths Logan, an affiliate club of the Broncos, have recent history in converting reserve-grade No.1s into NRL sensations, after Tristan Sailor had a successful stint as Reece Walsh’s understudy for the Broncos before signing a three-year deal with English Super League outfit St Helens.
“I don’t know where we’re going to play him [Aubrey] – whether at 14 or playing him at fullback – but I don’t know if he’s a winger, and I don’t think he wants to play on the wing,” Tuqiri said.
“He’s a bloke who needs to have his hands on the ball. We’ve got some good outside backs at Souths Logan, but what he’s shown in preseason and how he’s trained and applied himself, he’s definitely put his hand up when the season comes around.”
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