RLO Newsletter 15/8: Schoolboy Cup finals begin
Plus a couple of Toyota Cup originals announce their retirements.
The Schoolboy Cup finals began in Queensland with some close and weird finishes, the Colts farewelled two teams as we head into the final round and the Jersey Flegg top five is almost set with two rounds left to play.
🏉 Graham and Croker to retire
It's weird to think that we are now firmly in a time when Toyota Cup OG’s are of retiring age. This past week, Wade Graham and Jarrod Croker both joined that group, announcing their retirements at the end of the season. Both were 17-year-olds when the inaugural Toyota Cup season kicked off in 2008.
Graham was a junior rep superstar coming through at Penrith. In 2005–2006, he won back-to-back Harold Matthews Cups with the Panthers, playing halfback in both wins and captaining the side in ‘06. In the 2005 final, he was just 14, not turning 15 until October. A year later, he started at five-eighth in their SG Ball Cup Grand Final loss to Parramatta. Weeks later, he moved up to the Jersey Flegg Cup, coming off the bench and scoring a try in their Grand Final win over Parramatta. He was just 16 in that game. A New South Wales under-17 and under-18 representative, he played 10 NYC games in 2008 and made his NRL debut that season at 17 against the Dragons in Round 15.
Croker played Matts and Ball with Canberra before progressing through to their NYC side in 2008. A year earlier, he was named an Australian Schoolboy while attending Mulwaree High in Goulburn. He played 24 games for the Raiders in the inaugural NYC season, starting at centre in their Grand Final win over Brisbane. Although he’d go on to score over 2000 points in the NRL, Croker only kicked 18 goals in 2008, with Josh Dugan the side’s primary goalkicker. He made his NRL in Round 2, 2009, going on to play 21 games that year.
🏉 Schoolboy Cup finals begin in Queensland
Dolphins Cup
The Queensland section of the Schoolboy Cup finals got underway last week with two close games and a bizarre ending in Rockhampton on Tuesday. In the second semi-final, St Brendan’s Yeppoon and The Cathedral College were locked at 8–all with seconds to play when Cathedral was awarded a penalty for accidental offside. Cathedral hooker Zac Bateman, who kicked a clutch conversion to tie it minutes earlier, kicks the penalty goal and they win it 10–8. Except the referee says it was missed. Both touch judges raised their flags but the ref disagreed. After a midfield discussion that went on for about five minutes, the officials confirmed it was good and Cathedral move on to the final.
They’ll play Emmaus College, who defeated Shalom Catholic College 18–10 earlier in the day. Emmaus did it tough after losing their captain Baylee Meilland very early, who suffered a nasty broken ankle that left his foot pointing the wrong way. Emmaus hooker Liam Barnes scored in the final minute to seal the win for his school.
Emmaus and Cathedral last played in Round 1, with Emmaus College winning it 24–12 thanks to two tries from fullback Seth Carpenter. The schools will meet again at Browne Park on Tuesday, August 15 for the final.
Aaron Payne Cup
The two top north Queensland schools all year, St Patrick’s Mackay and Kirwan State High, will meet in the Aaron Payne Cup final this week. St Pat’s booked their ticket with a 28–16 win over St Augustine’s Cairns. The underdogs from Cairns led 6–0 early before St Pat’s kicked into gear on the back of their star duo, halfback Jaxon Purdue and Xavier Kerrisk, who both scored doubles. Kirwan defeated their arch-rivals Ignatius Park College 18–4, scoring four tries to one. Kirwan backrower Elijah-Shane Tapau was the standout, scoring twice. Tapau will join the Eels on a two-year contract next season.
The schools have played twice this year – an 18–all draw in Round 3 and a 22–16 win for St Pat’s in Round 6. The final will be played on Thursday, August 17 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium as the curtain-raiser to the Cowboys-Sharks NRL game.
Allan Langer Trophy
Palm Beach Currumbin State High knocked Keebra Park State High out of the competition for the fourth consecutive year with a 14–12 win at Kougari Oval. Down two with two to play, winger Creedence Kelly-Donovan crossed in the corner to put his school through to the semis in the final game of the day.
Competition favourites Marsden State High opened the day with a strong 32–10 win over Caloundra State High. Their halves Javon Andrews and Coby Black ran the show, having a hand in several of their schools tries. Caloundra led after three minutes and did well to stay in the contest until two late Marsden tries blew the score out.
Wavell State High, who won two pool games all year, pulled off the upset of the week by eliminating second-place Mabel Park State High, 26–16. Wavell led 22–16 heading into the final 10 and held off several Mabel Park attacking raids. Not long after, Wavell sealed the win through a late Kobi Floro try.
The third match of the day saw Ipswich State High overcome a brave St Mary’s Toowoomba side 36–18. St Mary’s gained entry to the Langer Trophy finals by winning the second-division Gee Shield and led the reigning National Champions 18–12 at halftime. Ipswich proved too strong after the break, scoring 24 unanswered points to move on.
This week’s semi-finals will see Marsden face Palm Beach Currumbin and Ipswich take on Wavell, with both games again taking place at Kougari Oval.
🏉 Schoolgirl Cup updates
Mabel Park State High are through to the Queensland state final of the NRL Schoolgirl Cup. They defeated Ipswich State High in the Titans Schools League final last week in an insane game that ended 28–26. Ipswich took a 26–0 lead into halftime before Mabel Park, led by Australian Schoolgirl and Titans development player Malaela Su’a, won the second half 28–0. They’ll face the winner of Kirwan State High and The Cathedral College, who play on Friday, August 18 in Mackay. The state final is scheduled for Wednesday, August 30 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
The New South Wales/Canberra pool stage wrapped up last week, with Erindale College defeating Matraville Sports High 28–14 in the final game. Bass High topped Pool A, with The Hills Sports finishing second. In Pool B, Westfields Sports went undefeated to finish first, with Erindale in second. I, unfortunately, can’t find any information on when the finals begin.
🏉 Hastings Deering Colts – Round 15
We say goodbye to the Norths Devils and Ipswich Jets this week, who played their final games of the season in Round 15. The Devils ended their year in style, flogging Souths Logan 58–28 and putting a major dent in their finals hopes. The Devils, one of the truly awful Colts sides this year, scored 10 tries, with winger Alex Gill scoring a hat trick. With a bye this weekend, they could (miraculously) finish as high as 10th if results go their way.
Ipswich had to play the Brisbane Tigers, who are quite good and lost 52–14. In a rare night game in Colts, the Tigers did it easy, scoring nine tries. Fullback Lachlan West continues to fire, scoring a hat trick. The Tigers are assured of a top-four spot but can finish with the minor premiership if they win and Tweed loses. Ipswich can finally move out of last place if the Pride lose to Redcliffe.
In Cairns, the Blackhawks handed the Pride their 20th consecutive loss with a 44–6 victory. I foolishly watched the first hour of this game before tapping out. It looked like neither side even wanted to be out there in the second half, which I guess can happen when a side cruising to the finals meets another who hasn’t won in 14 months. Townsville scored 24 points after I switched off. They sit in third and play fourth-placed Burleigh this weekend. The Pride will need a miracle to beat Redcliffe and avoid a winless season.
Mackay benefited from Souths Logan’s stumble by beating the Capras 30–22 and moving into the top eight. They almost blew it, leading 30–0 at halftime only to concede 22 in the second. The Cutters play first in Round 16 and secure their finals spot with a win over the Clydesdales.
Speaking of, the Clydesdales’ faint finals hopes were shattered by the in-form Sunshine Coast, going down 44–26. The Clydesdales played for about a minute with 10 players after getting three sent to the sin bin. Flynn Kaiser Capewell was binned for dissent in the 59th minute and was joined by Brock Patti five minutes later. Two minutes after that, their captain Kai Duggan was then also done for dissent.
On Sunday, Wynnum Manly jumped ahead of Redcliffe into sixth with a 28–26 victory. The Dolphins scored five tries to four but Wynnum Manly’s Nathaniel Tangimataiti was perfect with the boot, kicking 6 from 6, including the winning penalty in the 76th minute. Redcliffe have won just two of their last seven.
The final game of the weekend was the game of the round with Tweed taking down the inform Burleigh 38–22. The Bears were on a nine-game winning streak and pushing for the minor premiership. Tweed have now won five-straight themselves, their longest ever Colts winning run. They stay in first and will be crowned minor premiers with a win over the Falcons.
The Tigers’ Lachlan West was named QRL’s “Heavy Lifter” this week. You can watch his highlights here.
My arbitrary vibes team of the week: 1 Lachlan West (BRI), 2 Alex Gill (NOR), 3 Dudley Dotoi (TSV), 4 Pat McGinn (SCF), 5 Jesse Yallop (TSV), 6 Jed Bignell (WYN), 7 Bailey Black (BRI), 8 Toby Sullivan (MKY), 9 Jai Camilleri (NOR), 10 Casey Morgan (BRI), 11 Kurtis Farr (CQL), 12 Khyan Weir (TWE), 13 Blake Coombes (MKY).
🏉 Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 24
Manly got Round 24 with an upset 16–14 win over Penrith, which keeps their slim finals chances alive. They’re in seventh, two points outside the top five, and will need to win out and hope results fall their way. The Panthers are third and can only drop as low as fourth.
Cronulla ended the Raiders’ recent resurgence with a 34–16 win at home. The Sharks scored seven tries, three of which came from winger Kristian Dixon, who has 13 for the year. The win confirms their finals spot. Canberra, who are ninth, had won five straight going in and needed to keep winning for a shot at the finals.
South Sydney snapped their seven-game losing skid with a 30–12 win over St George Illawarra. The two points have come too late for Souths, who are now out of finals contention. The Dragons play their final game this weekend and, with a bye in the last round, are effectively out as well.
Canterbury scored three second-half tries to hand Newcastle their 14th loss of the season, winning 30–16. The Bulldogs remain in second with a very outside shot of the minor premiership. The Knights, last year’s Grand Finalists, are last and have two games left to try and avoid the wooden spoon.
Melbourne moved one step closer to the finals and knocked the Wests Tigers out of the running with a 24–18 win in Lidcombe. The scores were level at 18–all heading into the final 10 before the Storm added a penalty goal and try to seal it. Melbourne are fifth, two points ahead of Parramatta in sixth. One win from their final two should be enough to play in the finals.
Round 24 highlights are available here.
The arbitrary vibes team of the week: 1 Lehi Hopoate (MAN), 2 Maanaima Amosa (MEL), 3 Ethan Ferguson (SOU), 4 Chris Vea'ila (CRO), 5 Kristian Dixon (CRO), 6 Jye Gray (SOU), 7 Keagan Russell-Smith (MEL), 8 Louis Grossemy (SOU), 9 Reuben Moyle (CBY), 10 Lipoi Hopoi (CBY), 11 Broden Konz (MAN), 12 Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana (NEW), 13 Caleb Navale (MAN).
🏉 Sommerton and Strange debut
Luke Sommerton was a late call-up to the Penrith side that defeated Manly last Thursday, joining the squad on an exemption after two players were ruled out. He started at hooker, playing 32 minutes on debut, making 13 tackles.
Sommerton began his junior rep journey with Parramatta’s Harold Matthews team in 2016, playing 10 games. In 2018, he joined the Roosters, playing 11 games for their SG Ball side before progressing to their Jersey Flegg side in 2019. In 2020, he returned to the West with Penrith’s Flegg side, where he played 10 games over two seasons. He played a handful of NSW Cup games for the club last year before becoming a mainstay at hooker this year, playing 21 games.
Ethan Strange put himself on the map with a hat trick for New South Wales in July’s Under-19 Origin, where he was named Player of the Match. He started at centre in his NRL debut last Sunday for Canberra in their big loss to Melbourne at AAMI Park.
The son of Roosters’ NRLW coach John and younger brother of Knights’ NRLW player Jasmin, Ethan progressed through the Central Coast Harold Matts system, playing 12 games over two seasons. In 2022, he joined the Roosters SG Ball side before making a mid-season switch to the Raiders, where he made his Jersey Flegg debut. He’s played 12 NSW Cup games this season, predominately at five-eighth.
🏉 Six more graduate to NRLW
Alanna Dummett started at centre in Canberra’s golden point win over the Dragons to start Round 4, running for 116 metres and making 10 tackles. Bega born and bred, she played two seasons for the Raiders’ Tarsha Gale side, playing 12 games. In April, she won the NSWRL Women’s Premiership with Mounties.
Tully’s Essay Banu came off the bench for her NRLW debut in the Cowboys’ comeback win over the Wests Tigers. She played three Under 19s games for the Pride in 2021 before moving to Wynnum Manly’s senior side in 2022, where she was named Prop of the Year and represented Papua New Guinea at the World Cup. Another Cowboys debutant in the win was her PNG teammate Jessikah Reeves. Reeves bypassed the QRL’s Under 19s competition but did represent Queensland under-19 in 2019.
Imogen Gobran debuted for the Wests Tigers in that game, coming off the bench and running for 60 metres. Gobran, who played two seasons for the Tigers’ Tarsha Gale side, became the first Balmain junior to progress through every level of the Tigers’ pathways when she made her NSWRL Premiership debut in 2022.
Tyla Amiata had a strong debut for Parramatta, running for 112 metres off the bench in their loss to the Broncos. Amiatu came through St George’s pathways, playing three seasons for their Tarsha Gale side. Before signing with the Eels, she played for Wentworthville in the NSWRL Premiership.
Felila Kia started at second row in her debut for Newcastle in their 12-point win over the Gold Coast. Kia is a Wynnum Manly junior who played for their Under 19s and senior side in 2022, as well as being selected to represent Queensland under-19 that season.
Around the grounds
For more information on all games head to 18thman.com.
Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 24
Manly 16 (L Hopoate, B Konz, C Navale tries; J Humphreys 2 goals) def. Penrith 14 (W De Courcey, B Moore, T Sielaff-Burns tries; J Nohra goal) at 4 Pines Park. Referee: C Suters. Halftime: PEN 10–4. Tackles: C Navale 39 (MAN), B Phillips 36 (PEN). Run metres: L Hopoate 232 (MAN), L Ison 207 (PEN).
Cronulla 34 (K Dixon 3, B Lavender, S Taukamo, M Waitere, T Wilton tries; K Dixon 3 goals) def. Canberra 16 (J Billing, O Pattie, T Thorburn tries; M Henderson 2 goals) at PointsBet Stadium. Referee: B Williams. Halftime: CRO 22–6. Tackles: K Wilson 31 (CRO), J Roddy 39 (CAN). Run metres: K Dixon 252 (CRO), L Kaloutolu 168 (CAN).
South Sydney 30 (L Grossemy, C Kaho, J Kokkinos, J Saldanha, D Towns, D Williams tries; E Ferguson 3 goals) def. St George Illawarra 12 (C Ackers, M Noakes tries; M Noakes 2 goals) at Redfern Oval. Referee: B Mani. Halftime: SOU 26–0. Tackles: C Tweedie 30 (SOU), K Hjaltason 35 (SGI). Run metres: E Ferguson 180 (SOU), T Heremia-Tukere 144 (SGI).
Canterbury 30 (E Clark 2, L Hopoi, R Moyle, L Vale tries; J Papalii 5 goals) def. Newcastle 16 (J Falemoe, B Greacen, E Salesa-Leaumoana tries; J Afoa 2 goals) at Lyall Peacock Oval. Referee: L Matheson. Halftime: CBY 12–10. Tackles: J McEwen 24 (NEW), R Moyle 26 (CBY). Run metres: E Salesa-Leaumoana 130 (NEW), J Papalii 149 (CBY).
Melbourne 24 (M Amosa, A Hinchey, M Jennings, A Okusitino tries; K Russell-Smith 4 goals) def. Wests Tigers 18 (H Mason, T Peni, L Saukuru tries; L Saukuru 3 goals) at Lidcombe Oval. Referee: L Saldern. Halftime: WST 12–6. Tackles: S Vaihu 37 (WST), G Satrick 30 (MEL). Run metres: B Tumeth 137 (WST), S Prescott 129 (MEL).
Ladder: 1st Roosters (41 pts), 2nd Bulldogs (37), 3rd Panthers (33), 4th Sharks (32), 5th Storm (28), 6th Eels (26), 7th Sea Eagles (24), 8th Dragons (24), 9th Raiders (24), 10th Rabbitohs (23), 11th Wests Tigers (22), 12th Knights (20).
Hastings Deering Colts – Round 15
Brisbane Tigers 52 (L West 3, A Faitala 2, M Beckett, B Black, J House, T Woodman-Tuhoro tries; B Black 8 goals) def. Ipswich 14 (T Cuthbert, C Lalor-Brennan, S Tonga tries; L Stuart goal) at Totally Workwear Stadium. Referee: C Baker. Halftime: BRI 22–6. Tackles: J Chang 33 (BRI), R Reid 37 (IPS). Run metres: C Morgan 190 (BRI), F Groth 225 (IPS).
Townsville 44 (C Hill 2, J Yallop 2, D Dotoi, K Fisher, J Shibasaki, R Wavik tries; R Wavik 6 goals) def. Northern Pride 6 (S Waireg try; R Herd goal) at West Barlow Park. Referee: C Wilson. Halftime: TSV 20–6. Tackles: H Davies 31 (NPR), J Baldwin 37 (TSV). Run metres: C Kennedy 134 (NPR), J Yallop 291 (TSV).
Norths 58 (A Gill 3, J Camilleri 2, B Dodd, D Haydon, D Neemia, S Platt, H Spragg tries; B Dodd 8, D Haydon goals) def. Souths Logan 28 (V Semu 2, L Kereopa, I Leota, T Mapusua-Lotaki tries; C Hamilton 4 goals) at Bishop Park. Referee: C Kwik. Halftime: NOR 34–6. Tackles: J Camilleri 26 (NOR), M Pakai 35 (SLM). Run metres: D Neemia 156 (NOR), R Evenis 149 (SLM).
Mackay 30 (C Shepherd 2, K Simon 2, L Doherty tries; H Stocks 5 goals) def. CQ Capras 22 (M Baker, K Farr, J Voysey-McGrath, J Wini tries; T Martin 2, J Barham goals) at Mackay JRL Grounds. Referee: D Lawrence. Halftime: MKY 30–0. Tackles: T Sullivan 25 (MKY), B Cavanough 33 (CQL). Run metres: T Sullivan 246 (MKY), K Farr 176 (CQL).
Sunshine Coast 44 (E Akers 2, P McGinn 2, T Couper, F Lawson, M Peut, L Puohotaua, J Ricotta tries; J Chappell 4 goals) def. Western Clydesdales 26 (O Bichel, A Donn, K Duggan, H Finau, T Hatch tries; K Duggan 3 goals) at Club Pittsworth. Referee: J Funk. Halftime: SCF 18–14. Tackles: D Carswell 25 (WCL), M Kira 26 (SCF). Run metres: H Finau 210 (WCL), B Woodford 195 (SCF).
Wynnum Manly 28 (J Bignell, C Hewett, E Mikaio, J Trappett tries; N Tangimataiti 6 goals) def. Redcliffe 26 (A Hoad, S Kava, B Major, C Thomas, C Williams tries; B Baira 3 goals) at Kayo Stadium. Referee: L Sutton. Halftime: WYN 20–12. Tackles: T Otukolo 31 (RED), T Bowman 30 (WYN). Run metres: B Baira 173 (RED), E Mikaio 192 (WYN).
Tweed 38 (M Donovan, R Foran, B Forder, T Nona, R Ratana, J Russell tries; E Speed 7 goals) def. Burleigh 22 (C Lasike, C Patu, H Ploegsma, J Tamepo tries; B Tagg 3 goals) at Piggabeen Sports Complex. Referee: M Gannon. Halftime: TWE 12–10. Tackles: J Stewart-Lewis 17 (TWE), J Tu’inukuafe 31 (BUR). Run metres: K Weir 161 (TWE), C Lasike 209 (BUR).
Ladder: 1st Tweed (26 pts), 2nd Brisbane Tigers (26), 3rd Townsville (24), 4th Burleigh (24), 5th Wynnum Manly (22), 6th Sunshine Coast (22), 7th Redcliffe (20), 8th Mackay (15), 9th Souths Logan (15), 10th Western Clydesdales (12), 11th CQ Capras (11), 12th Norths (11), 13th Northern Pride (4), 14th Ipswich (4).
NRL Schoolboy Cup
Allan Langer Trophy – Quarter-Finals
Marsden SHS 32 (C Rangihuna-Ruri 2, M Andrew, S Innes, L Lee, S Siulua tries; C Black 4 goals) def. Caloundra SHS 10 (Z Garton, T Maoate tries; T Roselt goal) at BMD Kougari Oval.
Wavell SHS 26 (M Warradoo 2, K Floro, L Salei, N Taua tries; Z Herdegen 3 goals) def. Mabel Park SHS 16 (J Landers 2, C Kolone tries; J Howe 2 goals) at BMD Kougari Oval.
Ipswich SHS 36 (A Naiyep 2, S Saifiti 2, J Laing, L Nonu, D Sandow, K Su’a tries; I Mafi 2 goals) def. St Mary’s Toowoomba 18 (P Sanderson, S Sheppard, L Thompson tries; B Scott 3 goals) at BMD Kougari Oval.
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS 14 (C Kelly-Donovan 2, S Stephenson tries; Z Harrison goal) def. Keebra Park SHS 12 (I Fagalilo 2 tries; R Williams 2 goals) at BMD Kougari Oval.
Aaron Payne Cup – Semi-Finals
St Patrick’s Mackay 28 (X Kerrisk 2, J Purdue 2, H Harris tries; H Harris 2, K Smith 2 goals) def. St Augustine’s Cairns 16 (C Boggian, L Magill, L Salecich tries; J Ziegler 2 goals) at Brothers Townsville.
Kirwan SHS 18 (E Tapau 2, E Kikau, B Roebuck tries; A Iorangi goal) def. Ignatius Park Townsville 14 (I Cavuilati try) at Brothers Townsville.
Dolphins Cup – Semi-Finals
Emmaus College 18 (L Barnes, C Hohn, I Walker tries; I Walker 3 goals) def. Shalom College 10 (O Hess, T Morcom tries; O Dotter goal) at Browne Park.
The Cathedral College 10 (J Biles try; Z Bateman 3 goals) def. St Brendan’s Yeppoon 8 (M Tapau-Bon, I Waters tries) at Browne Park.
Lastly, want to give a quick thanks to everyone for reading the newsletter each week. An especially big shoutout to Liam for the multiple shoutouts. I’d tell you to follow his stuff but I think most (all) of you came from there. Thanks again!