RLO Newsletter 22/8: Colts regular season wraps up
The Cutters get cut, minor premiers are crowned and the Schoolboy Cup heats up.
🏉 Hastings Deering Colts – Round 16
A try was all that separated eighth and ninth place when the Colts’ regular season ended this past weekend. Mackay, who came into the round in eighth, opened the weekend with a 28–26 win over the Clydesdales. They trailed 22–10 after 50 minutes before mounting a comeback to lead 28–22 with fifteen to play before conceding a try (uh oh) in the final five minutes. When the siren went, they were in the finals on 17 competition points, with a points differential of -89.
A few hundred kilometres down the road in Rockhampton, ninth-placed Souths Logan scored to go up 30–26 over the Capras with about two minutes left. As it stood, they were on 17 competition points, with a points differential of -90. The Capras then gave away a penalty on the next set and Souths Logan rolled downfield and scored with 30 seconds on the clock. They won 34–26 and finish with a points differential of -86, knocking out Mackay and qualifying for the finals.
See that draw for both teams? That was against each other. In Round 12, Mackay led 30–28 before giving away a penalty in the final minute, which the Magpies kicked to tie the game. To make things worse for the Cutters, they scored six tries to five in the game.
Across the rest of the round, Tweed picked up their first-ever Colts minor premiership with a ridiculous 50–32 win over the Sunshine Coast. They become the first side that isn’t Townsville or Wynnum Manly to finish in first place. In 2007, Tweed finished as minor premiers in the old under-19 Colts Challenge competition, winning that year’s Grand Final, 18–4 over Norths.
Townsville defeated Burleigh 36–22 to record their fifth straight win. Both sides finished in the top four, with the Blackhawks in third and the Bears in fourth. On Sunday, the Tigers secured second place with a 36–16 win over Wynnum Manly, who finished in seventh.
Finally, commiserations to this year’s wooden spooners, the Northern Pride, whose 58–4 loss to Redcliffe means they finish 2023 without a win and on a competition record-equalling 21 consecutive losses.
Tweed’s Logan Radzievic was named QRL’s “Heavy Lifter” this week. You can watch his highlights here.
Team of the Week: 1 Kane Simon (MKY), 2 Israel Leota (SLM), 3 Logan Radzievic (TWE), 4 Will Starling (RED), 5 Blake Forder (TWE), 6 Jaxen Yow (SLM), 7 Corey Shepherd (MKY), 8 Casey Morgan (BRI), 9 Ayden Hoad (RED), 10 Bailey Cavanough (CQL), 11 Ricardo Evenis (SLM), 12 Kurt Fisher (TSV), 13 Jamal Shibasaki (TSV).
Colts Finals – Week 1 schedule
Saturday, August 26
Qualifying Final: Brisbane Tigers (2nd) vs. Townsville (3rd), Logan Metro Football Fields, 10am
Elimination Final: Redcliffe (5th) vs. Souths Logan (8th), Logan Metro Football Fields, 12pm
Qualifying Final: Tweed (1st) vs. Burleigh (4th), UAA Park, 6pm
Sunday, August 27
Elimination Final: Sunshine Coast (6th) vs. Wynnum Manly (7th), Kayo Stadium, 12pm
🏉 Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 25
With one round remaining the Jersey Flegg, only one Top 5 position is up for grabs following Round 25. Melbourne (5th) defeated Penrith 24–20 on Sunday afternoon to end the faint hopes of Manly (7th) and Canberra (8th). The Storm’s only challenger for the last spot is Parramatta, who are sixth and pulled off a huge upset win over the Roosters, 36–20. The Eels are two points behind the Storm but with a superior points differential, so they’ll need to beat Penrith and hope the Storm lose to the Raiders.
Despite the loss to the Eels, the Roosters have claimed the minor premiership for the second consecutive season. Second-placed Canterbury, who were an outside chance at first, lost 32–10 to the Raiders. Karl Oloapu played in that game, making his Flegg debut on his return from a neck injury.
Earlier on Saturday, Newcastle and Manly put up big scores. The Knights battered South Sydney 52–10 to finally move out of last place, while the Sea Eagles continued their strong second half of the season with a 48–6 win over the Dragons. The Dragons and Rabbitohs have byes in Round 26, so their seasons end very disappointing.
The other game on Sunday saw Cronulla move into third with a 34–10 win over the Wests Tigers. The loss drops the Tigers into last, with a game against the Roosters this weekend.
Team of the Week: 1 Fletcher Sharpe (NEW), 2 Kristian Dixon (CRO), 3 Samuel Loizou (PAR), 4 Coby Williamson (MEL), 5 Maanaima Amosa (MEL), 6 Harradyn Wilson (MAN), 7 Ethan Sanders (PAR), 8 Brock Parker (PAR), 9 Billy Scott (PEN), 10 Mitchell Prest (CAN), 11 Brock Greacen (NEW), 12 Broden Konz (MAN), 13 Oryn Keeley (NEW).
🏉 Eight schools remain in Schoolboy Cup
We’re down to the semi-finals in the Northern and Southern conferences of the NRL Schoolboy Cup after a big week of action.
In Queensland, St Patrick’s College Mackay will host Emmaus College Rockhampton, while Ipswich State High and Palm Beach Currumbin State High meet in Brisbane.
In Sydney, a doubleheader at Campbelltown awaits with Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown facing St Dominic’s College Penrith and Westfields Sports High playing Canberra’s Erindale College.
Aaron Payne Cup
St Patrick’s Mackay moved onto the semis after blowing Kirwan State High away 32–10 in last Thursday’s Aaron Payne Cup final. It was a first-half masterclass from St Pat’s, who led 26–4 after 30 minutes. Their halfback Jaxon Purdue was the star, scoring twice and setting up several more.
Dolphins Cup
A chip and chase try in the final five minutes gave Emmaus College their first Dolphins Cup title, defeating Cathedral College 24–20. A tight contest throughout, Cathedral went up 20–18 inside the final 10 before Emmaus halfback Isaac Walker put in a chip for his fullback Seth Carpenter to score the title-winning try.
Allan Langer Trophy
For the second straight year, Ipswich SHS and Palm Beach Currumbin SHS will meet in the Langer Trophy final. Palm Beach Currumbin handed Marsden SHS their first loss of the year with a 16–4 win. PBC centre Sam Stephenson scored twice in the victory. The school have now qualified for the last four Langer Trophy finals.
Ipswich progressed through with an 18–6 victory over Wavell State High. Tied 6–all at halftime, Ipswich capitalised on the sin-binning of Wavell’s Kobi Floro, scoring twice in eight minutes.
Peter Mulholland Cup
All four Mulholland Cup quarter-finals took place at Windsor Sports Complex last Wednesday. St Dominic’s opened the day with a 26–18 win over Hills Sports High. Westfields Sports High, who went unbeaten in the pool stage, then took care of All Saints’ Maitland 52–6.
Erindale College pulled off the upset of the day, defeating Endeavour Sports High 28–24 to move onto the semi-finals for the second year in a row. The day ended with Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown quickly putting away the Victorian pool winners, Victorian Uni Secondary College, 64–6.
Schoolboy Cup Semi-Finals schedule
Wednesday, August 23
Northern Conference
St Patrick’s Mackay vs. Emmaus College, Mackay JRL Grounds, 1:30pm
Ipswich SHS vs. Palm Beach Currumbin SHS, Totally Workwear Stadium, 3pmSouthern Conference
Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown vs. St Dominic’s Penrith, Campbelltown Stadium, 12:30pm
Westfields Sports High vs. Erindale College, Campbelltown Stadium, 1:45pm
🏉 Schoolgirl Cup finals
We finally have some updates on the NSW Schoolgirl Cup competition. The semi-finals will take place on Wednesday, August 23, before the Schoolboys semis, at Campbelltown Stadium.
Bass High, who topped Pool A, will take on Erindale College, while Pool B's winners, Westfields Sports High, will play The Hills Sports High.
In Queensland, the state final is confirmed, with Kirwan State High facing Mabel Park State High on Wednesday, August 30. Kirwan qualified last Friday, defeating The Cathedral College 22–10 in Mackay.
🏉 Three debuts in the NRL
There was a varied mix of NRL debutants this past weekend with a hotshot 20-year-old, a Queensland Cup veteran and a former Australian sevens international all graduating to the big league.
Trai Fuller was the feelgood story of the round, making his debut for the Dolphins at 26 after several years in Cup. The Eidsvold junior was a standout for the Capras’ Mal Meninga Cup side in 2014-15, scoring 18 tries and being named the competition’s Player of the Year in 2015. In 2016, he began his affiliation with Redcliffe, joining the under-20 FOGS Colts Challenge team. In 2017, he won the FOGS U20s Cup (the forerunner to the current Colts competition) and FOGS Colts Challenge with the Dolphins and was a member of the Broncos’ Holden Cup squad. He made his Cup debut in 2018 and started at fullback, scoring a double, in their Grand Final win over Easts later that year.
Debuting in the same game was the Wests Tigers' Triston Reilly. Reilly was brought back to league by the Tigers in 2022, having previously played for the Waratahs and the Australian sevens team. The Kempsey-born, Kempsey Dragons junior represented the NSW Koori Under-16 side and played for the Knights’ Harold Matthews team in 2015. In 2017, he played for the Rabbitohs in the SG Ball while attending St Joseph’s College Hunter Hill, where he made the switch to union.
Titans’ halfback Tom Weaver grabbed widespread attention after his great performance for New South Wales under-19s last year. A Cudgen junior, he won the Andrew Johns Cup with the Northern Rivers Titans in 2019 and the Mal Meninga Cup with Tweed in 2021. That same year, he led Palm Beach Currumbin to the Queensland state title (COVID would deny them the chance at the National Title) and was named an Australian Schoolboy. In 2022, he moved up to Tweed’s Colts side, playing 11 games, before a late-season call-up to their Cup side. He played 16 Cup games this season before his NRL debut against Penrith last weekend.
🏉 …and three debuts in the NRLW
Three more Tarsha Gale Cup graduates made their way into the NRLW this past weekend with Salma Nour, Ahlivia Ingram and Taneka Todhunter getting their first minutes.
Nour, a Liverpool junior, spent three seasons (2020-22) with Illawarra in the Tarsha Gale Cup, scoring 14 tries in 21 games. A member of the Dragons’ NRLW squad last year, the dummy half moved to the Wests Tigers in 2023, coincidentally, making her debut against her former club in Round 5.
Ingram is a born and bred Canberran who played her junior footy with the Tuggeranong Bushrangers. A member of the Raiders’ inaugural Tarsha Gale side back in 2017, she played 16 games with them over two seasons. An Australian PM’s XIII and Indigenous All-Star representative, the front rower played 26 minutes in her debut for Canberra.
Todhunter was a late call-up for Parramatta in Round 5, playing 31 minutes in their loss to Canberra. The dummy half played two seasons of Tarsha Gale with the Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy, making the round trip each time from her hometown of Dubbo in 2020 before relocating a year later. In 2021, she represented the New South Wales under-19 side in their win over Queensland.
Around the grounds
For more information on all games head to 18thman.com.
Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 25
Newcastle 52 (J Afoa 2, O Keeley 2, F Sharpe 2, B Greacen, J Linnane, T May tries; J Afoa 8 goals) def. South Sydney 10 (J Saldanha, D Williams tries; E Ferguson goal) at Lyall Peacock Oval. Referee: L Matheson. Halftime: NEW 30–10. Tackles: B Greacen 24 (NEW), L Grossemy 27 (SOU). Run metres: B Greacen 210 (NEW), E Ferguson 109 (SOU).
Manly 48 (I Mapu-Satiu 2, B Metcalfe 2, C Brown, M Hayley, K Mafoa, D Mihinui, C Navale, H Wilson tries; T Bunting 4 goals) def. St George Illawarra 6 (N Tsougranis try; J Shereb goal) at 4 Pines Park. Referee: J Bird. Halftime: MAN 20–0. Tackles: B Konz 22 (MAN), K Hjaltason 30 (SGI). Run metres: B Metcalfe 166 (MAN), W Pring 124 (SGI).
Canberra 32 (J Billing, J Clarkson, O Pattie, J Roddy, K Rushton tries; M Henderson 6 goals) def. Canterbury 10 (W Afualo, M Ravonu tries; J Papalii goal) at Raiders Belconnen. Referee: P Eden. Halftime: CAN 12–6. Tackles: S Packer 26 (CAN), R Moyle 41 (CBY). Run metres: M Prest 150 (CAN), W Afualo 143 (CBY).
Parramatta 36 (S Loizou 2, J Davis, M Komolafe, N Lenaz, E Martin, E Sanders tries; E Sanders 4 goals) def. Sydney 20 (S Foketi, A Holten, E Jolliffe, J Swann tries; O Flaherty 2 goals) at Ringrose Park. Referee: B Mani. Halftime: PAR 16–10. Tackles: B Parker 37 (PAR), M McCathie 34 (SYD). Run metres: B Parker 142 (PAR), J Swann 230 (SYD).
Cronulla 34 (K Dixon 2, T Waitere 2, S Ataata, L Crouch tries; K Dixon 5 goals) def. Wests Tigers 10 (H Mason, H Tofaeono tries; L Saukuru goal) at Lidcombe Oval. Referee: A Sirianni. Halftime: CRO 12–6. Tackles: F Neilsen 41 (WST), K Wilson 34 (CRO). Run metres: S Vaihu 122 (WST), F Faatili 159 (CRO).
Melbourne 24 (C Williamson 2, A Okusitino, K Russell-Smith tries; K Russell-Smith 4 goals) def. Penrith 20 (C Lawson 2, B Scott, A Warwick tries; J Nohra 2 goals) at Gosch’s Paddock. Referee: C Suters. Halftime: MEL 18–10. Tackles: J Weir 39 (MEL), B Scott 36 (PEN). Run metres: M Amosa 140 (MEL), B Phillips 144 (PEN).
Ladder: 1st Roosters (41 pts), 2nd Bulldogs (37), 3rd Sharks (34), 4th Panthers (33), 5th Storm (30), 6th Eels (28), 7th Sea Eagles (26), 8th Raiders (26), 9th Dragons (24), 10th Rabbitohs (23), 11th Knights (22), 12th Wests Tigers (22).
Hastings Deering Colts – Round 16
Mackay 28 (L Doherty, M Novosel, T Parter, C Shepherd, K Simon tries; C Shepherd 4 goals) def. Western Clydesdales 26 (N Carrie 2, M Brady, H Finau, C Munro tries; K Duggan 3 goals) at BB Print Stadium. Referee: C Kwik. Halftime: WCL 16–4. Tackles: T Sullivan 38 (MKY), B Patti 35 (WCL). Run metres: K Simon 202 (MKY), H Ensbey 215 (WCL).
Tweed 50 (B Forder 2, L Radzievic 2, P Bryant, M Liles, J Russell, J Stewart-Lewis, J Wright tries; E Speed 6, R Foran goals) def. Sunshine Coast 32 (M Peut 2, E Akers, C Herdegen, P McGinn, E Smethills tries; J Chappell 4 goals) at Piggabeen Sports Complex. Referee: A Rossiter. Halftime: TWE 28–20. Tackles: J Stewart-Lewis 24 (TWE), J Elich 28 (SCF). Run metres: L Radzievic 148 (TWE), E Smethills 193 (SCF).
Souths Logan 34 (R Evenis 2, J Yow 2, I Leota, Z Waaka tries; G Peace 4, M Pakai goals) def. CQ Capras 26 (M Baker, J Miller, L Nebauer, S Taungahihifo tries; J Barham 5 goals) at Browne Park. Referee: N McEwen. Halftime: 12–all. Tackles: B Cavanough 36 (CQL), V Semu 25 (SLM). Run metres: B Cavanough 189 (CQL), I Leota 225 (SLM).
Townsville 36 (J Shibasaki 2, R Wavik 2, D Dotoi, K Fisher tries; R Wavik 6 goals) def. Burleigh 22 (Z Alley, E Finau, C Lasike, C Patu tries; B Tagg 3 goals) at Jack Manski Oval. Referee: D Lawrence. Halftime: BUR 16–10. Tackles: J Baldwin 33 (TSV), K Somerville 26 (BUR). Run metres: R Wavik 199 (TSV), K Somerville 148 (BUR).
Redcliffe 58 (W Cahill 2, T Nean 2, A Hoad, T Lunney, N Lutui, W Starling, C Thomas, M Timu, C Williams tries; M Timu 7 goals) def. Northern Pride 4 (D Jones try) at Barlow Park. Referee: B Sheppard. Halftime: RED 28–4. Tackles: H Davies 26 (NPR), M Spence 21 (RED). Run metres: B Salameh 146 (NPR), W Starling 233 (RED).
Brisbane Tigers 30 (L Fitzsimmons 2, L West 2, J House, C Morgan, J Nadenic tries; B Black 4 goals) def. Wynnum Manly 16 (W Lane, J Radel, J Trappett tries; J Davies 2 goals) at BMD Kougari Oval. Referee: T Wilkie. Halftime: BRI 16–6. Tackles: J Radel 42 (WYN), B Ashton 30 (BRI). Run metres: S Roache-Faimalo 213 (WYN), C Morgan 229 (BRI).
Final Ladder: 1st Tweed (28 pts), 2nd Brisbane Tigers (28), 3rd Townsville (26), 4th Burleigh (24), 5th Redcliffe (22), 6th Sunshine Coast (22), 7th Wynnum Manly (22), 8th Souths Logan (17), 9th Mackay (17), 10th Norths (13), 11th Western Clydesdales (12), 12th CQ Capras (11), 13th Ipswich (6), 14th Northern Pride (4).
NRL Schoolboy Cup
Allan Langer Trophy – Semi-Finals
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS 18 (S Stephenson 2, C Kelly-Donovan tries; Z Harrison 2 goals) def. Marsden SHS 4 (K Vunipola try) at BMD Kougari Oval.
Ipswich SHS 18 (M David, X Kirk, A Naiyep tries; I Mafi 3 goals) def. Wavell SHS 6 (K Pene try; Z Herdegen goal) at BMD Kougari Oval.
Aaron Payne Cup – Final
St Patrick’s College Mackay 32 (B Anderson 2, J Purdue 2, K Smith, B Venz tries; H Harris 4 goals) def. Kirwan SHS 10 (A Iorangi, A Manna tries; A Iorangi goal) at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Dolphins Cup – Final
Emmaus College Rockhampton 24 (S Carpenter 2, L Barclay, C Hare tries; I Walker 4 goals) def. Cathedral College Rockhampton 20 (M Brown 2, J Biles tries; Z Bateman 4 goals) at Browne Park.
Peter Mulholland Cup – Quarter-Finals
St Dominic’s College Penrith 26 def. Hills Sports High 18.
Westfields Sports High 48 def. All Saints’ College Maitland 6.
Erindale College 28 def. Endeavour Sports High 24.
Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown 64 def. Victoria Uni Secondary College 6.