Queensland’s premier rugby league competition for Catholic and independent secondary schools has swung into action this week in Brisbane with the cream of the State’s emerging talent on show.
This year’s Confraternity Carnival hosts St Laurence’s College kicked off the QISSRL championships in style last Sunday at Suncorp Stadium - tossing Villanova College 26-16 in a curtain raiser to the Brisbane Broncos v Gold Coast Titans NRL derby.
St Patrick’s College Mackay opened their 2023 campaigns on an ominous note in the Boys and Girls divisions – each posting triple victories without conceding a point to top their respective pools.
Minus their Queensland Schoolboys representatives in half back Jaxon Purdue and boom hookers Xavier Kerrisk and Paityne Johns, the respective 2022 Grand Finalists skittled Marist College Ashgrove (10-0), St Augustines Cairns (20-0) and Rockhampton Grammar (20-0) in the Boys Division 1 championship while the powerful girl’s combination thumped Shalom College Bundaberg (24-0), St Joseph's Toowoomba (34-0) and Emmaus Jimboomba (38-0) to push their title claims.
Promising five eighth Bailey Venz turned in a skilful performance in St Patrick’s first round win over Marist College Ashgrove to earn the Player of the Match award.
Venz scored the opening try and created opportunities for team-mates with his crisp passing, turn of speed and tricky footwork.
Strong running back rower Jake Bryan and prop Darcy Clark also impressed with their high work rates with fullback Will Shears another stand out in the back division.
Skipper Clark produced a Player of the Match performance in the second-round drubbing of St Augustine’s.
The rising prop burst through tackles to score the only try of the first stanza and was supported by the versatile Shears, who sparked the attack when switched to half in the second half along with replacement fullback Hayden Cumming.
Winger Hunter Harris collected try doubles against St Augustines and Rockhampton Grammar while smart hooker Hudson Clark, utility Lachlan Starr, half back Nelson Fenlon, centre Tenzin Contor, prop Reece Morris and lock Kayne Smith also shone for the red, blue and whites.
Emerging halves Keely Pitt and Lily-May Carige engineered St Patrick’s three early victories in the Girls competition with their skilful passing and vision.
The Mackay forwards led by Capricornia representative props Ciara Thomson and Chelsea McLeod, lock Gracie Watt and utility hooker Shaylee Hazledine did the spadework with bumping runs and copybook defence.
Elusive winger Maddison Simon nabbed a hat trick of tries in the win over St Josephs – using her fleet footwork to launch many a raid and Player of the Match honours.
The powerful Thomson proved unstoppable against Jimboomba, creating havoc with her strong running and off loads in a best on ground performance.
Other St Patrick’s girls to shine included fullback Trinity Grigg, centre Ruby Lucas, Jada Cahill, Ella Webb, Eva Daly and Paige Mooney.
MEANWHILE Holy Spirit College Mackay advanced to the Boys Division 2 quarter finals after defeating Our Lady Southern Cross 20-16 and suffering losses to St Theresa’s (24-14) and St Colombans (28-18).
At the time of going to press, undefeated St Patrick’s were squaring off with Wynnum’s Iona College in a Division 1 Boys quarter final with the Mackay girls up against reigning champions Marymount College Burleigh Waters in the final eight.
By Chris Karas
Talented back rower Jake Bryan and representative prop Ciara Thomson have starred for St Patrick’s College Mackay at the Confraternity QISSRL Carnival in Brisbane
St Patrick's Mackay centre Tenzin Contor on the attack during this week's Confraternity QISSRL Carnival in Brisbane
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