Oxley Island’s Luke Polson has made the next step in his rugby league career after linking up with the Gold Coast Titans Under 20s squad.
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The 18 year old former Old Bar Pirate was picked up by the Titans on a train and trial basis last year before signing an official contract last week.
“It’s been long and arduous,” Luke said of his journey to the club.
Luke came off the bench in last Saturday’s 38-24 loss to the Roosters where he spent 25 minutes in the forwards.
Luke said the physical demands of the match showed him what to expect at this level of competition.
“It was a hectic start.
“I got on with about 15 minutes left to halftime and got a few sets in,” Luke said.
Off the field, he said the biggest challenge has been changing his tackling technique to suit the style of the Under 20s.
Luke said the Titans have a solid training base under coach Ben Woolf, where he feels comfortable to talk with other players about developing his playing style. He credits fellow forward Max King for giving his insight into the “ins and outs” of playing in the forwards, such as wrestling technique and tackling.
Luke said it was a surreal feeling to enter the stadium last Saturday and have NRL players Ryan James and Konrad Hurrell watching on.
He hasn’t forgotten about his roots and has thanked the Old Bar coaching staff for their introduction to rugby league.
Fellow ex-Pirate Kurtis Dark is also leaving his mark on the youth competition after making his debut in the Knights Under 20s win against the Warriors last Sunday.
He made 23 tackles and five runs.
Luke is still getting used to the prospect of facing former teammates and Group 3 players on the big stage.
“It’s a weird experience playing against these blokes,” Luke said.
At just 18 years old, Luke is confident in his growth at the club by taking everything put in front of him day by day.
As such, he is set to spend time playing for the Titans feeder club Tweed Heads Seagulls.
He balances training with a part time job of unloading trucks for a company.