A desperate lunge for the tryline ended a 21-year drought for St Patrick’s College, Mackay as it celebrated its girls’ Confraternity Shield final triumph at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville tonight.
St Patrick’s Lucy McKendry bumped and pushed through four defenders, stretching her arm for a try 16 minutes before fulltime that was the difference in an 8-4 win over defending champions The Cathedral College, Rockhampton.
This was St Patrick’s first girls’ Shield triumph. They had reached the inaugural girls’ final at home in 2022 but a polished Marymount College, Burleigh Waters held them out before a big Mackay crowd.
And last year The Cathedral College scored a try with seven minutes remaining in Brisbane to
claim their school’s first Shield in a girls’ or boys’ competition.
A team from St Patrick’s hadn’t won a Confraternity Shield since the boys’ team claimed the
title in 2003 for coach Troy Rovelli.
St Patrick’s girls’ coach Imogen Healy wanted her players to soak in the Confraternity experience this week, culminating in the chance to play the curtain-raiser hours before the women’s State of Origin decider.
The Confraternity Carnival, sponsored by CQ University and run by Queensland Independent Secondary Schools rugby league, features 12 girls’ teams and 52 boys’ teams and is played this year across six fields at Brothers Townsville Football Club and neighbouring Ryan Catholic College.
Healy said her players would remember this week for a long time and they will have plenty of highlights to store.
Centre Anthea Campbell’s desperate tackle to shut down The Cathedral College’s likely try to level the scores was typical of the defence that enabled St Patrick’s to win the title.
They held a talented Marymount College scoreless in the semi-final before only allowing one try to The Cathedral College before halftime.
Earlier today, St Margaret Mary’s College, Townsville delighted their home crowd with a 20-4 win over St Ursula’s College, Yeppoon in the second tier Confraternity Trophy. St Margaret Mary’s College was unbeaten this week.
QISSRL selectors named a merit team today that featured three players from the champion
St Patrick’s team and six from The Cathedral College.
GIRLS’ FINALS RESULTS
Confraternity Shield
St Patrick’s College, Mackay 8 d The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 4
Positional playoffs
Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 8 d Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 0 Emmaus College, Rockhampton 22 d Shalom College, Bundaberg 4 Rockhampton Grammar School 10 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 8
Confraternity Trophy
St Margaret Mary’s College, Townsville 20 d St Ursula’s College, Yeppoon 4
Positional playoffs
Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville 30 d Emmaus College, Jimboomba 4
QISSRL Honorary Girls’ Merit Team
1 Manaia Fauimu Malone (The Cathedral College)
2 Ava Wheeler (St Patrick’s College, Mackay)
3 Lorianna Eseli (St Ursula’s College)
4 Asha Hutchinson (Shalom College)
5 Rhiannah Brown (The Cathedral College)
6 Maycee Brown (The Cathedral College)
7 Paige Mooney (St Patrick’s College, Mackay)
8 Salome Mann (The Cathedral College)
9 Olivia Flether (St Margaret Mary’s College)
10 Stevie-Lee Dixson (Emmaus College, Rockhampton)
11 Ebony Temple (St Patrick’s College, Mackay)
12 Bronte Parker (Marymount College)
13 Serenity Mila (Rockhampton Grammar School)
14 Josie Wogand (The Cathedral College)
15 Jakaia-Lee Collett (St Margaret Mary’s College)
16 Zoe Robson (The Cathedral College)
17 Adele Jensen (Southern Cross Catholic College)
Coach: Matt Geyer (Marymount College).
Manager: Petrina Coco (Gilroy Santa Maria College)
Award winners
Referees’ Team Fair Play Award: The Cathedral College, Rockhampton
Catholic School Parents Queensland Award (for player with the most potential): Ava
Ahmat (St Margaret Mary’s College)
Carbine Club, Spirit of the Carnival Award: Tanyia Wheller (St Ursula’s College)
Reg Cannon Medal (Player of the Carnival): Bronte Parker (Marymount College)
