Player Jesse Soric

[mt.wellington]

Jesse Soric​

​

Byron Bay Devils junior who attended reknowned Rugby League school Keebra Park.

Played in 2023 for Byron Bay Red Devils First Grade partnering former NRL player Todd Carney in the halves.

2022 - Northern Rivers Titans U18
2023 - Keebra Park Alan Langer Cup team
2023 - Byron Bay Devils NRRRL First Grade
2023 - Titans U18 Laurie Daly Cup
2024 - Warriors SG Ball

 

[mt.wellington]

Jesse Soric. The Byron Bay Devils junior and Keebra Park SHS student is part of the Titans Northern Rivers Development Program.

Jesse Soric started the 2022 season as a member of the Byron Bay Devils U18 NRRRL side, starting Round One against the Tweed Heads Seagulls at halfback.

Jesse Soric also started at halfback in Round Two against the Ballina Seagulls with Jesse Soric scoring a double in wet conditions.

Jesse Soric’s opening try came in just the 4th minute when from around twenty metres out and to the right of the play the ball Jesse Soric received the ball and initially shaped to kick before stepping off his right foot before another right foot step saw Jesse Soric get to within ten metres of the try line. Jesse Soric was initially held short of the line but he kept fighting the tackle and forced his way over to score under the posts.

Jesse Soric’s second try came in the 60th minute when near the line Tyler Whittington forced out an off-load, Jesse Soric picked the ball from the ground and cut to his left to dive over, once again under the posts.

In 2021 Jesse Soric was a member of the Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad, starting the opening two rounds at five eight before coming off the bench in the final three rounds with Jesse Soric scoring in Round One against the McArthur Wests Tigers.

Jesse Soric also played for the Byron Bay Devils in 2021 in the NRRRL U18 competition, playing in eight matches, starting five matches at five eight, two from the bench and also one match at halfback.

In his eight matches Jesse Soric scored twice, the first coming in Round Two against Northern United and second in Round Thirteen against Casino RSM.

In attack, Jesse Soric generally plays an understated role, focussing more on the distribution and game management aspects of his role as a half. A key attribute to how Jesse Soric plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations encountered within a game, including where his team is situated on the field and which team has the momentum.

Jesse Soric is just a superb passer of the ball in all aspects, from accuracy, direction, weighting and also importantly timing of when to pass. Normally half backs and five eight, even at the NRL level have a clear preference in terms of passing to one side of their body, and normally it is easy to recognise. In relation to Jesse Soric however his passing to either side of his body is exquisite and simply amazing to watch.

Jesse Soric literally just flicks his wrists and the ball flies out of his hands like a perfectly aimed bullet. I personally do not recall seeing a young play maker which such outstanding command and control in relation to his passing game.

Jesse Soric’s passing game is just so natural and precise and really is impressive for such a young player and certainly bodes well for his future in a play making role whether that is at five eight or half back.

The confidence Jesse Soric’s passing ability has on his team mates surely cannot be understated. Jesse Soric’s team mates can run various lines and run into gaps confidently knowing that the pass that they receive from Jesse Soric will be perfectly weighted and directed to give them the best opportunity to either break the line or make ground before or after contact.

Another plus attribute that Jesse Soric has is his calmness on the field. Regardless of the situation of the match or where his team is on the field or the pressure of the score board, Jesse Soric just seems to always stay calm and this is able to execute his plan. I use the word plan as Jesse Soric also seems to do things with purpose rather than just pass the ball on to a support player. With Jesse Soric there is no jogging across field and obviously calling a runner back underneath.

Everything that Jesse Soric does, he does for a reason and he does it with a calmness and assuredness that exerts a positive influence on his team mates regardless of how stressful the situation is on the field from a position on the field perspective or time pressures that his team were under. I can only imagine that Jesse Soric would be a very coachable young man who would have no trouble at all following a game plan regardless of its complexity.

The other issue around game plans in the context of Jesse Soric is that he clearly has the intelligence to modify the game plan as the match unfolds if he identifies nuisances or specific changes which would enhance the effectiveness of the team’s performance. Another reason to suggest that Jesse Soric is extremely coachable.

Jesse Soric will though take the line on when the opportunity arises however, but as noted his best attribute is that of a game manager with the ability to draw defenders out of the line and put his runners into the subsequent hole that is generated. Jesse Soric has decent speed off the mark and quick twitch feet in confined space but does not have explosive acceleration or high top end speed.

From a kicking perspective Jesse Soric has a solid kicking game, with reasonable distance and accuracy on all types of kicks, from kicking for field position or from an attacking perspective as well as tactically for field position. Like his passing game, Jesse Soric’s kicking game comes across as so fluid and effective.

Defensively Jesse Soric is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength for any position let alone a half/five eight, to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it.

Jesse Soric has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on Jesse Soric’s side of the field. In short just like his attacking play Jesse Soric is an outstanding defender.

Jesse Soric will complete the 2022 as part of the Byron Bay Devils U18 NRRRL side and Jesse Soric is also U18 eligible in 2023. Jesse Soric will also play for Keebra Park State High School in 2022 and will push for selection in the Keebra Park SHS Langer Cup Open A Squad.

From a position perspective, Jesse Soric plays the same way whether he is wearing the No. 6 or No. 7 jersey and there is no way known that I could see that a coach would consider moving him away from either the halves positions.

With his calm demeanour and outstanding kicking game Jesse Soric very much reminds me of current Titans NRL player Toby Sexton although Jesse Soric is taller. Both Jesse Soric and Sexton have a calmness about them when they are playing and rarely ever seemed rushed in performing their role for their team.

My take on our top juniors - Page 121

For supporters of the Gold Coast Titans

www.leagueoftitans.com.au

 

[mt.wellington]

Scramble to make the top-six in Northern Rivers​

Margie McDonald
Thu 10 Aug 2023, 11:41 am


Five teams are jostling for the bottom three positions in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) competition and there’s one round left to secure a top-six spot.

Ballina (28 points), Bilambil (28) and Northern United (26) are safely through to the finals.

But Tweed Coast (18), Byron Bay (17), Evans Head, Cudgen and Lower Clarence (all on 16 points) are in last-chance saloon.

Tweed Coast and Byron Bay both have negative for-and-against differentials, which isn’t the case for Evans Heads, Cudgen and Lower Clarence sitting immediately below them on the ladder.

So many scenarios could play out over this weekend’s final round.

But most eyes will be on Les Burger Field at Cabarita, where Tweed Coast (-30 differential) take on Cudgen (+111) in the local derby, with the history between these two sides indicating it could be yet another nail-biting match.

If Cudgen wins, Lower Clarence beat Casino and Evans Head triumph over Northern United, then Tweed Coast Raiders could find themselves out of the finals despite currently sitting in fourth spot.

Top-placed Ballina take on Byron Bay, who are clamouring for a fourth, fifth or sixth finals placing but some of the focus of this game will also be on a legend for both clubs in front rower Dylan Montgomery.

He played for NSW Country and won four premierships with Ballina before moving over to Byron Bay to help in the re-build of that team.
Former Dally M winner Todd Carney and Warriors signing for 2024, Jessie Soric (pictured at top), will be Byron’s halves combination once again with former NRL Cowboys and Sea Eagles forward Blake Leary another danger on the left edge.

Byron coach Mick Foster, who is a former assistant at Ballina, said it could be 39-year-old Montgomery’s last game if weekend results didn’t go Byron’s way.

“That’d be a real shame but it’s also kind of fitting if it all ends up on his old home ground,” Foster told nswrl.com.au

“He’s such a well-known character. He’s a Ballina junior, went to Manly to player Jersey Flegg and other grades in the Sea Eagles comp, had a year at Young Cherrypickers and then came back to Ballina in 2013.

“They won three premierships in a row with Dyl getting Man of the Match in the first one in 2013 and then a fourth in 2017.
“He’s like your Matt Scott-style of prop – runs hard and strong every time.”

Scramble to make the top-six in Northern Rivers

Finals spots for 2023 in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League has come down to the last round

www.nswrl.com.au

 

[mt.wellington]

Mat Rogers & Craig Clifton on Instagram: "Congratulations to RSM’s Jesse Soric who has signed a 3 year deal with the NZ Warriors. Over the past 2 years Jesse has taken his training and professionalism to a new level. The courage he has displayed pla

319 likes, 5 comments - rogerssportsmanagement on July 5, 2023: "Congratulations to RSM’s Jesse Soric who has signed a 3 year deal with the NZ Warriors. Over t..."

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