Author : Cameron Stallard 

Mariner magic conjures up Phil Hall Cup for Palm Beach Currumbin

Brisbane Broncos-bound centre Deine Mariner was the man of the moment in the NRL Schoolboy Cup Queensland final, playing a pivotal role in Palm Beach Currumbin’s 62-0 Phil Hall Cup domination.

Against St Brendan’s College at Moreton Daily Stadium, the point-scoring specialist was the lynchpin in the Gold Coast-based school’s right-side reign, playing a part in six tries.

Mariner crossed for three of his own and assisted in another three four-pointers to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss in the big dance to Kirwan State High School.

“It feels good. Our team… we set this as a goal, particularly after last year,” Mariner said post-match, describing the feeling of winning the NRL Schoolboy Cup Queensland title.

“I’m really proud of the boys’ efforts today and getting the ‘W’ really means a lot.

“It has been a good year… it’s been pretty successful and I’m keen to see what’s in-store for the future.”

Deine Mariner celebrates a try with Jett Forbes. Photo: Jason O’Brien/NRL Images

It only took three minutes for the victors to get on the board when Jett Forbes latched onto an intercept and ran 70 metres to get down the other end of the field before being pulled down by St Brendan’s defenders… but the desperation defence was in vain two plays later when Oscar Bryant found Keano Kini loitering near the line to bring up Palm Beach’s first.

The opening two tries of Mariner’s first half hat-trick came during the next 10 minutes as he crossed twice to accelerate the lead to 16-0.

The Broncos dynamo then played a hand in Forbes’ first of his four-try haul before scooping up a well-executed Tom Weaver grubber to seal his hat-trick in only the 25th minute.

At half-time, Palm Beach were well in control at 30-0 and whilst not discrediting the effort shown by the Scott Minto-coached St Brendan’s side to try and stop the onslaught, they were not ready to put the cue in the rack.

St Brendan’s College hooker Quinn Stover. Photo: Jason O’Brien/NRL Images

Coming out from the sheds after the break energised to claim victory in style, the South East Queensland juggernauts went on a point-scoring frenzy with four different names troubling the defence in the space of 15 minutes – Bryant, Michael Roberts, Kini for his double and Ryan Foran all finding the white chalk before the 45th minute.

With the game well and truly gone at 48-0, Mariner linked up with Forbes to allow the winger to cross twice more and Roberts added the icing on the cake right on full-time with an impressive four-pointer to send the Phil Hall Cup to the front offices of Palm Beach Currumbin – a feat that hasn’t been achieved since 2018 when Tom Dearden and Toby Sexton starred in the halves.

Palm Beach Currumbin captain Tom Weaver celebrates. Photo: Jason O’Brien/NRL Images

Reflecting on the win, ex-Palm Beach Currumbin student and current coach Tim Maccan said it was a proud moment to be NRL Schoolboy Cup state champions.

“To coach this team is a real privilege and a real honour,” Maccan said.

“To be an ex-student and to win a state final, myself, I know what the boys have been through and what they’re doing, so it was great to win one as a player but to win one as a coach is extra special.”

Attributing the success of the right edge to the game plan set down, Maccan also emphasised the role his forward pack played in laying the platforms.

“We planned to get some quality ball to the right side. We’ve got some strike weapons out there in Deine Mariner and Michael Roberts moving there so we knew had to get some quality ball and some good position and we knew we’d get some rewards there,” Maccan said.

“But the forwards made a bit of a pact they wanted to hold the score to zero and they wanted to make sure they led from the front, hold the middle tight and let all the backs get all the glory.

“I thought our three starting middles were great today.”

Palm Beach Currumbin second rower Brock Priestley. Photo: Jason O’Brien/NRL Images

With a large percentage of the Reds side also members of the Tweed Seagulls’ outfit that claimed the Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup title earlier this year, including Maccan, the dual title-winning coach said he could not be more proud of the achievement this year and it proved the systems in place for club and school football were working.

“It’s great. It’s a big team effort with the boys we’ve got. A lot of them are from Tweed and the coaching staff is the same,” the Palm Beach Currumbin coach said.

“I’ve got great coaching staff and great players here and it just shows the systems were are using work and are successful and we’ll keep doing it.”

With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of the New South Wales NRL Schoolboy Cup competition, Palm Beach Currumbin’s journey ends as Queensland winners the national final cancelled due to the current situation.

In the earlier matches, St Augustine’s clinched victory from the jaws of defeat with a 20-18 come-from-behind win over Lockyer District in the NRL Schoolboy Trophy; meanwhile, Keebra Park were too strong for Kirwan State High School to claim the Karyn Murphy Cup 24-8.

NRL Schoolboy Cup Queensland PBC star Deine Mariner. Picture: Liam Kidston

PBC wins, Queensland Schoolboy Phil Hall Cup rugby league grand final between Palm beach Currumbin SHS and St Brendan’s College, Redcliffe. Picture: Liam Kidston

NRL Schoolboy Cup Queensland PBC 9. Oskar Byant, Queensland Schoolboy Phil Hall Cup rugby league grand final between Palm beach Currumbin SHS and St Brendan’s College, Redcliffe. Picture: Liam Kidston

Justin Hodges medallist’s PBC Keano Kini and Marsden SHS Chris Faagutu. Picture: Liam Kidston

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The post Palm Beach smash St. Brendans in Cup Grand Final appeared first on OurFootyTeam.

Author : Pam McKay The Bulletin

Livestream: Catch the action from Qld’s premier schoolboys deciders on this website on Wednesday.

St Brendan’s College open team after their Aaron Payne Cup semi-final win over Ignatius Park.

St Brendan’s College will forge its own piece of rugby league history on Wednesday.

For the first time, their teams will feature in the grand finals of both the Aaron Payne Cup and Cowboys Challenge in the same year.

St Brendan’s play Mercy College Mackay in the CC final at 10am and Kirwan State High in the APC final at 11am, with both games livestreamed on this website.

The First XIII booked their place in the APC decider by beating Ignatius Park 22-16 last week. Watch the replay here.

The CC team advanced with a 20-10 win over Emmaus College. Watch the replay here.

First XIII coach Scott Minto said it was a great achievement, one which was testament to the rugby league program at the school and the people involved in it.

St Brendan’s will play Mercy College Mackay in the Cowboys Challenge final on Wednesday.

He said his players were excited for their chance to claim the APC crown.

“I said to the boys last night that we’re not going up there to come second,” he said.

“We’ll go in with the same attitude that we did last week and really work hard.

“The first 10 to 15 minutes will set the tone, and we want to show plenty of intent and let them know we’re there to play.”

Kirwan took the honours 31-12 in their pool game, and Minto said it was that meeting that helped steel St Brendan’s defence.

“We know what to expect – big bodies running hard, especially early in the game,” he said.

“Our forward pack will do a good job with Tane Kiriona and Brock Hinds leading the way.

“Our edges are really strong, and we’ll get some opportunities late in the game with our centres and wingers.

“We’ve got to stick tight and stay connected. If we do that, we will go a long way towards winning.”

Matthew Hill. St. Brendans College

St Brendan’s First XIII squad

Matthew Hill:

Broncos contracted and improving with every outing in the fullback role. In his first full year at the back, he’s a genuine strike player on any play the ball and will catch any lazy defender napping with his speed, balance and skill.

Kongasau Nona:

Hailing from Thursday Island, he has electric speed and a high level of skill to match. Look for him taking on tired forwards out of dummy half on every set.

Blayden Dodd:

Blayden is athletically gifted and has the uncanny ability to beat his defender one on one. With a fend to rival ‘GI’, Doddy (as the boys call him) will be looking for some early ball to test the opposition in this one.

Blake Anders:

With NRL clubs starting to circle, Blake has been a real eye catcher in 2021. With his tall build and strong carries, he is a handful to contain with his ability to slip the pass to his winger in space becoming his stock play.

Mackenzie Nixon:

Recently crowned Queensland Country under-17 representative, Mack has improved his game 100 per cent in 2021. Strong carries out of the back field and good finishing has him stationed at the top of the try scoring list in the APC 2021.

Jackson Miller:

The Barcaldine junior brings a cool head and a sharp passing and kicking game to the team. His ability to show and go and beat opposition was a real feature at Confro 2021 and has continued deep into the APC in Term 3.

Owen Pattie. St Brendan’s College First XIII squad

Owen Pattie:

Captain of the side in 2021, Owen is a constant threat to teams by mixing up his game and testing defense lines out every set. A half who plays with tempo and good game management, he will be a key figure if Brendan’s are to go on and win the APC this year.

Tane Kiriona:

Fresh after inking a new deal with the Canberra Raiders, Tane has been a revelation in 2021. Tall, aggressive with unbelievable leg speed for a middle forward, he ticks almost every box and will be rising up the ranks in years to come.

Quinn Stover. St Brendan’s College First XIII squad

Quinn Stover:

He started the season on the bench and when starting hooker Will Lasker did his shoulder prior to Confro, not many knew what Quinn was fully capable of. He’s grown immensely in the past 10 weeks and has stamped his mark on this team moving into the penultimate game Wednesday.

Brock Hinds:

Another who has gained a contract in the NRL system in 2022, Brock has taken his game to the next level with his hard runs, strong defence and work off the ball impressing the Broncos High Performance staff. He will need to match the big forwards from Kirwan if Brendan’s are to get home.

Ben Charles:

Has been in the top three for Brendan’s consistently every week this year. With his work rate off the charts and his line running and defence clean-up unfailing, Ben has helped a great deal with getting the team through to this game. Look for his influence to be huge.

Kealhan O’Brien:

The Blackwater product is fast, agile and tough. He takes the hard carries and is always sniffing around, looking for the ball. Look for his combination with Miller on the right to fire in the grand final.

Noah Corcoran: A skilful, rangy lock who can pass like the best halves and hit like the best middles. A great link man to the halves, Noah is doing a great job of steering the middles around in 2021.

St Brendan’s celebrate their win in the Aaron Payne Cup semi-final. Picture: Matthew Forrest

Hoani Harris:

The youngest of the bunch at 16 – although you wouldn’t know it. Tough in both attack and defence, Hoani is renowned for his effort all round. He will play a big part in making sure the pressure stays on Kirwan throughout.

Filipe Buli:

Another up and comer in Year 11. Has grown in leaps and bounds this season. At 190cm and 98kg, he is the younger brother of 2019 First XIII player Ilami. Watch him tear into them when he’s unleashed after 15 minutes of this match-up.

Harrison Gray:

A member of the 2020 outfit, Harrison takes on a new role this year, coming off the bench and moving Owen Pattie up to nine during the half, which has paid dividends. His experience when it matters most will be drawn upon this Wednesday.

Sebastian Nona:

Another 16-year-old who has impressed the coaching staff with his natural game and power runs. He will feature plenty in the First XIII kit in the coming 12 months as he, too, is in Year 11 this year.

Kendrick Treadwell-Kendrick:

A wing/fullback who can cover other positions at a pinch. With a want to get the ball in his hands, Kendrick will be a positive influence wherever he is injected in this one.

Related Links

St. Augustines come from behind to win QLD Schoolboy Trophy

Keebra Park awesome in girls Karyn Murphy Cup win

Phil Hall Cup schoolboy cup grand final day – LIVE UPDATES

Best Langer Cup grand final players

Walters and Hancock Cup grand finals between Palm Beach Currumbin and Keebra Park

Phil Hall Cup

PBC come from behind to win Langer Cup

NRL Schoolboys Cup (Langer Trophy) grand final day Marsden SHS v PBC SHS

Catholic U18s hold on in schoolboy nailbiter

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QRL.com.au

The post St Brendan’s in Aaron Payne Cup and Cowboys Challenge finals appeared first on OurFootyTeam.