RLO Newsletter 8/8: Schoolboys finals set
Plus a shortened round of Flegg and some more big Colts scores.
🏉 Schoolboy Cup finals set
The Northern and Southern Conference pool games wrapped up last week and the finals are set. All three Northern (Queensland) competition finals begin this week, while the South’s Peter Mulholland Cup quarter-finals get underway on August 16.
Here’s a quick rundown of how the finals system works:
In Queensland, the Dolphins Cup winners will play the Aaron Payne Cup winners on August 22. The winner of that playoff will face the Allan Langer Trophy winners in the Phil Hall Cup state final on August 30. The winner of that game will then play the Southern Conference’s Peter Mulholland Cup winners in the National Final.
Dolphins Cup (Central Queensland)
8/8 Emmaus College vs. Shalom College, Browne Park
8/8 St Brendan’s College vs. The Cathedral College, Browne Park
Emmaus College Rockhampton went through the pool stage unbeaten and will face Shalom College Bundaberg in the first semi-final on Tuesday (August 8). Emmaus held on for a 20–18 win when the two sides met in June.
The other semi sees St Brendan’s College Yeppoon play The Cathedral College Rockhampton. These schools played not too long ago, with St Brendan’s winning on the siren. The Dolphins Cup final will be played on August 15.
Aaron Payne Cup (North Queensland)
9/8 St Patrick’s College vs. St Augustine’s College, Brothers Townsville
9/8 Kirwan SHS vs. Ignatius Park College, Brothers Townsville
The Aaron Payne Cup semi-finals kick off this Wednesday (August 9), where local rivals Kirwan State High and Ignatius Park College Townsville will meet for the third time this season. Their first encounter in June ended in a 12–all draw, while Kirwan won big two weeks ago, 36–8.
The winner of that game will meet either St Patrick’s College Mackay or St Augustine’s College Cairns in the final. St Pat’s went through Pool A unbeaten, an 18-all draw with Kirwan their only blemish. Newcomers St Augustine’s finished top of Pool B, conceding just 24 points.
The Aaron Payne Cup final will take place at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on August 17 as a curtain-raiser to the Cowboys-Sharks NRL game.
Allan Langer Trophy (Southeast Queensland)
9/8 Marsden SHS vs. Caloundra SHS, BMD Kougari Oval
9/8 Mabel Park SHS vs. Wavell SHS, BMD Kougari Oval
9/8 Ipswich SHS vs. St Mary’s College, BMD Kougari Oval
9/8 Palm Beach Currumbin SHS vs. Keebra Park SHS, BMD Kougari Oval
The Allan Langer Trophy has three weeks of finals ahead, with the quarter-finals getting underway on Wednesday at Kougari Oval. After winning their first-ever Langer Trophy game last week, Caloundra State High will meet the undefeated Marsden State High in the first game. Marsden blew Caloundra away 42–12 in Round 3.
The second game of the day sees Mabel Park State High, who lost just once, take on Wavell State High. Mabel Park won their last meeting in Round 2, 16–6.
St Mary’s College Toowoomba join the finals, replacing the last-placed Redcliffe State High, after winning the Titans Schools League competition. St Mary’s was set to face Marymount College in the final before Marymount forfeited. Their opponents are Ipswich State High, who finished third with a 5–2 record.
The final game of the day is a big one, the Gold Coast derby between Palm Beach Currumbin State High and Keebra Park State High. Palm Beach Currumbin hold bragging rights over their rivals thanks to an 18–6 win in Round 6. They’ve also knocked Keebra Park out of the competition in the last three years.
Peter Mulholland Cup (ACT / NSW / Victoria)
16/8 Westfields Sports High vs. All Saints’ College
16/8 Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown vs. Victoria Uni Secondary College
16/8 Erindale College vs. Endeavour Sports High
16/8 Hill Sports High vs. St Dominic’s College
There will be a new Peter Mulholland Cup winner in 2023 after Patrician Brothers’ College Fairfield failed to make it out of their pool.
Westfields Sports High, who topped the Seeded Pool, take on All Saints’ College Maitland, who won the Northern Pool on points differential. All Saints’ won their final game and got some help from their rivals Hunter Sports High, who handed Central Coast Sports College their only loss in the group stage.
Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown finished third in the Seeded Pool and will play Victoria’s Storm Cup winners Victoria University Secondary College. Patrician Brothers’ lone win came in the final week of the group stage, a 44–6 thrashing of Endeavour Sports High. Vic Uni College, as well as winning the Storm Cup, went undefeated in the Southern Pool.
Endeavour finished last in the Seeded Pool, not picking up a win and conceding 112 points in three games. Their quarter-final opponents are Canberra's Erindale College, who smashed their way through Central Pool 2. They won all three of their games, scoring 110 points and conceding just 18.
The final quarter-final sees The Hills Sports High face St Dominic’s College Penrith. St Dominic’s finished first in Central Pool 1, while The Hills came second in the Seeded Pool. Hills enter the finals on the back of a 40–4 loss to Westfields. St Dominic’s on the other hand played just two group games after their game against Holy Cross College Ryde was cancelled.
🏉 Hastings Deering Colts – Round 14
There’s just one top-eight spot still up for grabs after Round 14 and the Western Clydesdales kept their chances of stealing it alive with their biggest-ever win. They opened the weekend with a 44-point thrashing of Norths, 62–18. It’s the Clydesdales’ fourth win of the year and, no matter how the last two weeks play out, confirms 2023 as the club’s best-ever Colts season. It’s also the first time since the competition started in 2018 that they’ve won back-to-back games.
The Devils played 46 minutes with 12 men after their centre William Curran was sent off for dissent. He was originally sin-binned for dissent but then had another go at the ref while walking off, was ordered to return, and subsequently then sent for good.
60-pointers followed in the next two games, with Tweed demolishing the Pride 64–4 and Sunshine Coast smashing Ipswich 62–10. Tweed welcomed back Jaylan De Groot, who scored twice in his first game since Round 4. They remain in first on points differential heading into a massive local derby with second-place Burleigh this weekend. Falcons’ centre Mason Peut made it 11 tries in three games after crossing four times in his side’s huge win. The Falcons sit in 6th on 20 points, two outside the top four.
It took Townsville almost 50 minutes to click into gear in their 38–14 win over Central Queensland. The Capras trailed by just four shortly after halftime before the Blackhawks ran away with it, scoring four unanswered tries. A win over the hapless Pride this weekend will secure their top-four place. The Tigers and Magpies played their first game in almost a month, with the Tigers running out 20–6 winners. Souths Logan’s bench hooker Taimana Whakatau was sent off in the final minute for a headbutt.
Burleigh kept their winning streak alive with a 36–20 win over Wynnum Manly on Sunday. The Bears trailed 20–10 early in the second half, scoring five tries in just over 20 minutes to record their ninth consecutive win. If they finish with the minor premiership, they’ll have truly earned it with away trips to Tweed and Townsville to round out the regular season.
Burleigh’s Carsen Patu was named QRL’s “Heavy Lifter” this week. You can watch his highlights here.
Team of the Week: 1 Lachlan West (BRI), 2 Jesse Yallop (TWE), 3 Mason Peut (SCF), 4 Jaylan De Groot (TWE), 5 Cathane Hill (TSV), 6 Nicholas Carrie (WCL), 7 Kai Duggan (WCL), 8 Casey Morgan (BRI), 9 Blake Ginman (SCF), 10 Carsen Patu (BUR), 11 Reico Ratana (TWE), 12 Khyan Weir (TWE), 13 Flynn Kaiser Capewell (WCL).
🏉 Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 23
Just the four games in Round 23 and the Roosters have one hand on the minor premiership after a 16–8 win over Manly. The Roosters have a bye this weekend, which will move them to 41 points. Second-placed Canterbury needs to win out, overcome a points differential and hope the Roosters drop their last two games.
The Bulldogs opened Round 23 with a comfortable 36–14 win over South Sydney in Redfern. Fullback Joash Papalii was been heavily involved since moving down from NSW Cup in recent weeks. He scored a try and kicked six goals in the win.
Canberra’s remarkable turnaround continued with a 14–10 win over the Wests Tigers. The Raiders, who were last for most of the year, are now just two points outside the top five thanks to their current five-game winning streak. They play Cronulla (4th), Canterbury (2nd) and Melbourne (5th) in their run home.
Parramatta is another who has shaken off some poor mid-season form to now sit two points outside the finals positions. They flogged the Dragons 48–10 and leapfrogged them into sixth behind Melbourne. The Eels have the bye this weekend, meaning a Storm loss will move them into the top five.
Round 23 highlights are available here.
Team of the Week: 1 Joash Papalii (CBY), 2 Jordi Mazzone (CBY), 3 Richard Penisini (PAR), 4 Prinston Esera (CAN), 5 Kane Rushton (CAN), 6 Braith Alexander (SYD), 7 Ethan Sanders (PAR), 8 Toni Mataele (PAR), 9 Benaiah Ioelu (SYD), 10 Lipoi Hopoi (CBY), 11 Corey Ross (SYD), 12 Jaxon Lavender (CAN), 13 Zac Montgomery (CBY).
🏉 Aaron Booth retires
It was announced by the Titans last Thursday that Aaron Booth was retiring, effective immediately. The 27-year-old hooker suffered a multi-ligament knee injury in Round 21 last year, rupturing his ACL, MCL and PCL. Booth played just 10 NRL games over three seasons (six with Melbourne and four with the Gold Coast), earning his NRL debut in 2020 at age 25 after several years in the lower grades.
A Mullumbimby Giants junior, Booth attended Palm Beach Currumbin as a teen. He represented the Gold Coast in both the Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga Cup competitions before joining South Sydney in 2014. The Rabbitohs had several Mullumbimby juniors in their Under-20 system in this period, including current Cowboy Jack Gosiewski and backrowers Rory Lillis and Eden Syme, who both spent time in reserve grade over the years.
After two years in the Under-20s and one in NSW Cup, Booth returned to Queensland with the Mackay Cutters. After a full season with the club in 2017, he tore his ACL in 2018, missing the entire year. In 2019, he shifted to Easts, where he earned a train-and-trial deal with Melbourne in the 2020 pre-season and, eventually, an NRL contract.
Booth will remain at the Titans, where he is currently an assistant coach for the club’s NRLW side.
🏉 Zae Wallace Cup
The Titans and Warriors NRL sides played for the Zae Wallace Cup once again last weekend, with the Warriors reclaiming it with a 28–18 victory. Zae sadly passed away in July 2019 at the age of 20, suffering a severe infection while in hospital with pneumonia.
Recruited by the Titans from Westlake Boys’ High in Auckland, Zae was a diminutive halfback/hooker who played well above his weight, standing at just 165cm. He played 15 NYC games for the club in 2017 and five Colts games for Burleigh in 2018 before returning home at the end of the year. He had just begun playing for Northcote before being struck down with the flu.
Wallace played alongside several current Titans, the likes of Phillip Sami, Moeaki Fotuaika and AJ Brimson, whom he lived with on the Coast.
🏉 Miller-Stephen and Couchman debut
Arthur Miller-Stephen and Ryan Couchman were both late inclusions for their debuts in the Eels-Dragons game on Sunday afternoon. Miller-Stephen started on the wing for Parramatta and got his first NRL try just eight minutes into the contest. Couchman played 37 minutes off the bench for St George Illawarra, running for 96 metres from 10 runs and making 28 tackles.
Miller-Stephen, a Mackay Brothers junior, joined the Eels in 2022 after coming through the Cutters’ pathways. In 2019, he represented the Queensland Murri and Queensland Country under-16 sides. In 2021, after starting the year in Mal Meninga Cup, he played seven Colts games for Mackay, scoring three tries. In his first season with the Eels, he moved up from SG Ball to Jersey Flegg, playing 13 games. In 2023, he got the call-up to NSW Cup after two games in Flegg, where he played seven games at fullback.
Couchman joined his twin brother Toby in the NRL after 20 NSW Cup games for the Dragons in 2023, where he’s averaging 139 running metres per game. In 2021, he was an Australian Schoolboy while attending Bulli High and represented NSW Country under-18. In 2022, he played just one Flegg game after the SG Ball season ended before suffering a shoulder injury.
🏉 Quartet graduate to the NRLW
Amelia Pasikala made a barnstorming NRLW debut for the Roosters in their big win over the Dragons at the SCG. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she ran for 80 metres off the bench, busting 11 tackles with some massive runs. Pasikala moved to Australia this year, playing six games for the Bulldogs Tarsha Gale Cup side and representing the NSW City under-19 side.
Singleton junior Sophie Clancy played her first NRLW minutes for the Dragons in the defeat. The dummy half came off the bench for a 22-minute stint, making 19 tackles. The 20-year-old was on a development deal with the Knights last year after coming through their Tarsha Gale Cup system, playing 15 games over two seasons.
Fiona Jahnke played 13 minutes off the bench for Cronulla in their loss to the Gold Coast on Saturday. An Aspley junior, Jahnke played for West Brisbane in the under-19s and BMD Premiership in 2021. In 2022, she moved to Norths and started at prop for Queensland under-19 in their loss to New South Wales. She played seven games for the Devils in the BMD season earlier this year.
The final under-19 graduate in Round 3 was Wests Tigers’ prop Jessica Kennedy, who was called up late after an injury to Folau Vaki in the warm-up. Kennedy spent three seasons with the Tigers’ Tarsha Gale Cup side, playing 20 games. In 2022, she was a member of their premiership-winning NSWRL Women’s Premiership side.
🏉 Here and There
Sirilo Lovokuro became the third Kaiviti Silktail to play Jersey Flegg for the Roosters after making his debut in Round 23. The partnership between the Roosters and Fijian side has seen winger Vuate Karawalevu and prop Watisoni Waqanisaravi play for the club in recent seasons. Lovokuro’s dad represented Fiji in rugby union in the 80s and played professionally in Japan.
Newcastle’s Harold Matthews fullback and captain Connor Votano has re-signed with the club until the end of the 2025 season. The 17-year-old was a standout in the competition, scoring 10 tries in 10 games during the side’s run to the Grand Final. His younger brother Cooper has also signed with the club until 2025.
Around the grounds
For more information on all games head to 18thman.com.
Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 23
Canterbury 36 (J Mazzone 2, Z Montgomery 2, J O’Neill, J Papalii tries; J Papalii 6 goals) def. South Sydney 14 (D Williams 2, C Kaho tries; J Saldanha goal) at Redfern Oval. Referee: E Klein. Halftime: CBY 18–6. Tackles: L Grossemy 36 (SOU), L Vale 30 (CBY). Run metres: L Grossemy 153 (SOU), L Hopoi 242 (CBY).
Canberra 14 (J Billing, J Lavender, O Pattie tries; M Henderson goal) def. Wests Tigers 10 (T Peni, S Vaihu tries; L Saukuru goal) at Raiders Belconnen. Referee: M Ford. Halftime: CAN 8–6. Tackles: J Lavender 36 (CAN), T Da Silva 39 (WST). Run metres: K Rushton 172 (CAN), S Vaihu 209 (WST).
Parramatta 48 (M Arthur 2, M Komolafe 2, E Martyn 2, J Lynn, B Parker, E Sanders tries; E Sanders 4, J Lynn 2 goals) def. St George Illawarra 10 (T Barrett-Hancock, L King-Togia tries; B Rumble goal) at New Era Stadium. Referee: P Eden. Halftime: PAR 30–0. Tackles: M Arthur 33 (PAR), J Young 36 (SGI). Run metres: T Mataele 155 (PAR), T Heremia-Tukere 110 (SGI).
Sydney 16 (B Alexander, T Fakaosi, C Ross tries; V Tamati 2 goals) def. Manly 8 (T Jarrett, V Kuli tries) at Wentworth Park. Referee: C Suters. Halftime: SYD 10–4. Tackles: B Ioelu 45 (SYD), C Navale 39 (MAN). Run metres: C Tohi 168 (SYD), B Metcalfe 159 (MAN).
Ladder: 1st Roosters (39 pts), 2nd Bulldogs (35), 3rd Panthers (33), 4th Sharks (30), 5th Storm (26), 6th Eels (24), 7th Dragons (24), 8th Raiders (24), 9th Wests Tigers (22), 10th Sea Eagles (22), 11th Rabbitohs (21), 12th Knights (20).
Hastings Deering Colts – Round 14
Western Clydesdales 62 (D Carswell 2, H James 2, O Bichel, K Duggan, T Hatch, B Leigh, B Patti, B Smith, C Tate-Roche tries; K Duggan 9 goals) def. Norths 18 (W Curran, A Gill, H Walters tries; B Dodd 3 goals) at Clive Berghofer Stadium. Referee: J Funk. Halftime: WCL 34–6. Tackles: D Carswell 25 (WCL), D Gibb 32 (NOR). Run metres: F Kaiser Capewell 152 (WCL), E Jones 126 (NOR).
Tweed 64 (J De Groot 2, J Russell 2, J Field, N Hilton, J Jackson, M Liles, R Ratana, E Speed, K Weir tries; E Speed 10 goals) def. Northern Pride 4 (T Cornthwaite try) at Piggabeen Sports Complex. Referee: C Wegner. Halftime: TWE 28–0. Tackles: O Bryant 25 (TWE), H Davies 45 (NPR). Halftime: K Weir 199 (TWE), B Salameh 140 (NPR).
Sunshine Coast 62 (M Peut 4, J Ricotta 2, J Taufa 2, P McGinn, J Parsons, E Smethills tries; J Chappell 9 goals) def. Ipswich 10 (I Fels 2 tries; L Stuart goal) at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Referee: N McEwen. Halftime: SCF 44–0. Tackles: B Ginman 32 (SCF), R Reid 30 (IPS). Run metres: M Peut 243 (SCF), F Groth 260 (IPS).
Townsville 38 (C Hill 2, R Wavik 2, J Yallop 2, J Baldwin, J Shibasaki tries; R Wavik 3 goals) def. CQ Capras 14 (J Barham, J Miller, J Wini tries; M Tanner goal) at Browne Park. Referee: C Kwik. Halftime: TSV 18–10. Tackles: M Leard-Lamont 36 (CQL), L Jack 30 (TSV). Run metres: J Wini 173 (CQL), C Hill 184 (TSV).
Brisbane Tigers 20 (T Veukiso 2, M Beckett, C Morgan tries; B Black 2 goals) def. Souths Logan 6 (M Pakai try; C Hamilton goal) at Totally Workwear Stadium. Referee: D Lawrence. Halftime: 6–all. Tackles: J Nadenic 36 (BRI), M Pakai 47 (SLM). Run metres: L West 266 (BRI), T Mapusua-Lotaki 185 (SLM).
Burleigh 36 (C Patu 2, T Devery, T Khan-Pereira, C Lasike, H Ploegsma, B Tagg tries; B Tagg 4 goals) def. Wynnum Manly 20 (B Anders, Z Edmonds, C Hewett, N Tangimataiti tries; B Anders 2 goals) at BMD Kougari Oval. Referee: M Gannon. Halftime: BRI 16–10. Tackles: C Hewett 32 (WYN), L Adamson 29 (BUR). Run metres: J Trappett 129 (WYN), C Patu 158 (BUR).
Ladder: 1st Tweed (24 pts), 2nd Burleigh (24), 3rd Brisbane Tigers (24), 4th Townsville (22), 5th Redcliffe (20), 6th Sunshine Coast (20), 7th Wynnum Manly (20), 8th Souths Logan (15), 9th Mackay (13), 10th Western Clydesdales (12), 11th CQ Capras (11), 12th Norths (9), 13th Northern Pride (4), 14th Ipswich (4).