The race for the boys’ Confraternity Shield was thrown wide open during one of the most dramatic opening days in the carnival’s 44 years in Townsville today.
Defending champions St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon, slotted a penalty goal after the siren to draw with Marist College Ashgrove before host school Ignatius Park College and Marymount College, Burleigh Waters fought out a 4-all draw before a strong home crowd in the night match at Jack Manski Oval.
And between those results came one of the most frenetic finishes in Confraternity Carnival history. Last year’s grand finalists Emmaus College, Rockhampton – the former school of Queensland star Cameron Munster – trailed by eight points with two minutes remaining against Johnathan Thurston’s former school St Mary’s College, Toowoomba.
Emmaus College scored in the left corner, decided against taking a conversion to save time, and then fumbled the ball twice in the last minute before Will McLaughlin kicked to the corner for a desperate try and then slotted the conversion from the sideline after the siren for a 22-20 win.
That left the Confraternity Shield up in the air at the end of a gripping first day in the Carnival sponsored by CQ University and run by Queensland Independent Secondary Schools rugby league. The Carnival features 52 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams and is played this year across six fields at Brothers Townsville Football Club and neighbouring Ryan Catholic College.
The first day of “Confro” usually shines a light on the teams that look likely to contest one of the most sought-after trophies in schoolboy rugby league in a history stretching back to 1980. Queensland Catholic and Independent schools from all parts of the state come together for two pool matches on day one before a third pool match tomorrow morning sorts out the finals draw. The finals are then played on Thursday and Friday.
But the likely contenders remain difficult to predict after the first day that featured unbeaten starts by Brisbane schools Padua College and Iona College and Rockhampton’s The Cathedral College.
Tomorrow’s final pool matches could decide the fate of Ignatius Park College and St Brendan’s College if results go against them.
Marymount College coach Matt Geyer, a two-time NRL premiership winner and Blues State of Origin player, praised the quality of the match after his team and Ignatius Park College completed a gripping contest.
“That was just great schoolboy rugby league played in a tremendous spirit,” Geyer said.
“Ignatius Park turned the match back towards them with a 40-20 kick that even our bench applauded. It was that good. You’d applaud it in a State of Origin match.”
The 40-20 kick came from Ignatius Park’s North Queensland Cowboys signing Lincoln Baker who stepped out of dummy half for a kick that took Marymount by surprise. Connor Sadler took the restart and crashed over to level the scores.
Marymount had opened the scoring through Phillip Coates, the brother of Origin winger and former Marymount Confro player Xavier, who broke through after Jordan Ryan wrongfooted the defence and offloaded close to the line.
Earlier in the day, St Brendan’s College had put a warning across the competition when they surged to a 34-0 win over St Augustine’s College, Cairns. St Brendan’s showed class across the field including Carter Ford, the son of late former Origin forward Carl Webb, and PJ Marsh’s sons Braelen and Jay.
But the slickness from that first match was upended in the afternoon when Marist College Ashgrove, playing their first league games after finishing their rugby union season, scored late to snatch the lead by two points.
St Brendan’s regained the ball from the re-start and then received a penalty in front of the posts in the last minute. They took the penalty goal for a draw that leaves them one point behind Padua College before they meet in a pool match tomorrow.
The top two teams from the four pools move into the Confraternity Shield quarter finals tomorrow afternoon with semi-finals to be played on Thursday and the final on Friday.
Padua College, playing its first league matches after winning the First XV rugby union title in the Associated Independent Colleges competition in Brisbane, defeated Marist College Ashgrove and St Augustine’s College.
Iona College was also fresh out of rugby union season for its wins over Emmaus College, Rockhampton and St Edmund’s College, Ipswich.
And The Cathedral College overcame St Patrick’s College, Mackay and Rockhampton Grammar School to take an unbeaten record into Tuesday.
A total of 16 teams each contest the boys’ Divisions 1 and 2 while 20 teams are playing in Division 3.
Aquinas College, Ashmore, Holy Spirit College, Mackay and All Souls St Gabriel’s College, Charters Towers won both of their matches in Division 2 after the first day. Defending champions Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers, featuring only 19 Year 12 students across their campus, enhanced their reputation as a fighting school with a draw with Brisbane’s Villanova College.
In Division 3, five teams were unbeaten today after two matches: Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay; St Patrick’s College, Gympie; Ryan Catholic College, Townsville; Unity College, Caloundra West and Mt Maria College, Mitchelton.
Boys’ Day 1 results
DIVISION 1
Pool A
St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 34 d St Augustine’s College, Cairns 0
Padua College, Kedron 16 d Marist College, Ashgrove 8
Marist College, Ashgrove 16 drew with St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 16
Padua College, Kedron 22 d St Augustine’s College, Cairns 20
Pool B
Iona College, Lindum 16 d Emmaus College, Rockhampton 6
St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 30 d St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 10
Emmaus College, Rockhampton 22 d St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 20
Iona College, Lindum 30 d St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 0
Pool C
Ignatius Park College, Townsville 42 d St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe 12
Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 16 d Shalom College, Bundaberg 8
Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 4 drew with Ignatius Park College, Townsville 4
Shalom College, Bundaberg 16 d St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe 14
Pool D
The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 14 d St Patrick’s College, Mackay 6
Rockhampton Grammar School 8 d St Peter Claver College, Riverview 6
St Patrick’s College, Mackay 16 d St Peter Claver College, Riverview 6
The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 16 d Rockhampton Grammar School 6
DIVISION 2
Pool A
Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers 12 d Marist College, Emerald 4
Villanova College, Coorparoo 42 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 0
Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers 16 drew with Villanova College, Coorparoo 16
Marist College, Emerald 24 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 6
Pool B
St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 26 d Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers 10
Holy Spirit College, Mackay 18 d St Michael’s College, Merrimac 12
Holy Spirit College, Mackay 22 d St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 12
Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers 28 d St Michael’s College, Merrimac 4
Pool C
Aquinas College, Ashmore 18 d St Columban’s College, Caboolture 6
St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 16 drew with Clairvaux MacKillop College, Mt Gravatt 16
St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 14 drew with St Columban’s College, Caboolture 14
Aquinas College, Ashmore 24 d Clairvaux MacKillop College, Mt Gravatt 10
Pool D
Assumption College, Warwick 22 d Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby 10
All Souls St Gabriel’s College, Charters Towers 24 d St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 6
Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby 16 d St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 0
All Souls St Gabriel’s College, Charters Towers 28 d Assumption College, Warwick 4
DIVISION 3
Pool A
Chanel College, Gladstone 16 d Trinity College, Beenleigh 6
Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 20 d St James’ College, Spring Hill 0
St James’ College, Spring Hill 18 d Chanel College, Gladstone 6
Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 24 d Trinity College, Beenleigh 4
Pool B
Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 24 d Chisholm Catholic College, Cornubia 10
St John’s College, Nambour 18 d Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 14
Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 18 d St John’s College, Nambour 8
Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 10 d Chisholm Catholic College, Cornubia 4
Pool C
St Patrick’s College, Gympie 24 d Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville 16
Emmaus College, Jimboomba 16 d St Mary’s Catholic College, Woree 0
St Patrick’s College, Gympie 26 d Emmaus College, Jimboomba 10
St Mary’s Catholic College, Woree 16 d Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville 12
Pool D
Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 18 d Good Shepherd College, Mount Isa 10
St Augustine’s College, Augustine Heights 18 d St Anthony’s College, Townsville 14
Good Shepherd College, Mount Isa 30 d St Augustine’s College, Augustine Heights 6
Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 10 d St Anthony’s College, Townsville 4
Pool E
St John’s School, Roma 26 d Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 12
Unity College, Caloundra West 16 d McAuley College, Beaudesert 12
Unity College, Caloundra West 28 d St John’s School, Roma 14
Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 18 d McAuley College, Beaudesert 16
