Laine-Sietu named Sharks Junior Rep Player of the Year

Author: Sharks Media
Timestamp: Thu 8 May 2025, 01:26 PM

After playing a leading role in his team's six-win, three-loss 2025 season, a year in which the Sharks SG Ball side qualified for the Finals only to be bundled out in week one, centre Prestyn Laine-Sietu has been named as the Sharks' Junior Representative Player of the Year.

Laine-Sietu joins the likes of Blayke Brailey, Teig Wilton and Sam Stonestreet from the current Sharks NRL squad, along with Barry Russell, the 1982 winner who was present on the night, as a recipient of the Sharks' most prestigious junior representative award.

"I'm humbled and grateful for this award, it's a nice validation of the sacrifices myself and my family have made," Laine-Sietu said.

"The club and people, especially my team and coaches, have made me feel welcomed, included and part of the Sharks family."

Laine-Sietu arrived at the Sharks after being selected for the Queensland schoolboys two years in a row and is currently in the extended Queensland under 19's Origin squad with a team to play NSW to be named in the next few weeks.

"We recruited Prestyn from the Redcliffe Dolphins in Brisbane to complement the local and existing talent in the Sharks ranks. He was a constant attacking threat for his team throughout the season and was a worthy winner of the major award," Sharks Development and Pathways Manager Glenn Brailey said.

"Prestyn had an outstanding season and now gets an opportunity to move up to the Flegg squad," Brailey added.

At the event held at Sharks at Kareela and attended by SG Ball and Matthews Cup players and staff, player families, corporate partners and club representatives, Laine-Sietu would also claim the SG Ball Player of the Year award, while teammate and talented local product Oliver Lester accepted the SG Ball Players' Player.

Oliver Lester gives his acceptance speech.

For the under 17 Matthews Cup Sharks, halfback Liam Challenor received the Players' Player award, with front rower Sidney Truong the Matthews Cup Player of the Year.

Sharks General Manager Football Darren Mooney, Glenn Brailey, Russell, Stonestreet, Sione Katoa and Sue Ryan from Sharks major academy and pathways partner John Ryan Freight Services were all present on the night.

Fellow junior rep sponsors Miller Freight Management, SBA Earthmoving and Attachments, Shore Hire and Cronulla Carpets were also acknowledged and thanked for their support.

The Sharks Harold Matthews side, coached by Luke Bateman, finished their season with a four-and-four win-loss record in finishing ninth, agonisingly missing out on a Finals berth on for-and-against, while the Brad Kelly-coached SG Ball outfit were sixth at the end of the nine-round regular season before going down to the Bulldogs 38-30 in round one of the Finals.

A handful of SG Ball team members have moved up to join the Sharks Jersey Flegg squad.