The footy career of some of Queensland’s best has come full circle with a new partnership between Confraternity Carnival and FOGS.
The FOGS (Former Origin Greats) are stacked with members who have graduated from “Confro” – the nation’s most popular rugby league school carnival – to the State of Origin arena.
The Origin series and Confraternity Carnival were born within weeks of each other in 1980 and have become entrenched in the rugby league calendar.
FOGS is a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the spirit of the Origin series, honouring the elite players who have represented Queensland since 1980 while supporting a range of charitable causes.
The FOGS partnership with Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League (QISSRL), which runs the Carnival, will include a range of initiatives including presence of FOGS members at games along with footballs for each of the 72 teams that will participate in this year’s event in Rockhampton.
“FOGS and Confraternity Carnival share a lot in common including our age and our view that rugby league can play a positive role in the lives of Queenslanders,” QISSRL President Peter Elmore said.
“We are proud of the many Confraternity Carnival players who have gone on to represent Queensland.
“We look forward to working with FOGS to continue to grow Confraternity Carnival for schools across the state.”
Last year’s Queensland men’s Origin squad involved several Confro graduates including Daly Cherry-Evans (St Patrickʼs College, Mackay), Lindsay Collins (Padua College, Brisbane), Ben Hunt and Harry Grant (St Brendanʼs College, Yeppoon) and Felise Kaufusi (Shalom College, Bundaberg).
The graduates could follow into the Queensland women’s team as the Confraternity Carnival’s girls competition continues to grow.
“FOGS is proud to join forces with the Confraternity Carnival – a competition that has played a key role in Queensland’s rugby league story,” FOGS Executive Chairman Gene Miles said.
“Supporting grassroots development has always been a core objective of FOGS, and this partnership is a great extension of how we continue to invest in the next generation. It allows us to honour the traditions that shaped so many of our Former Origin Greats, while helping to grow the future of the game.”
FOGS member and former St Mary’s College Toowoomba student Johnathan Thurston said:
“Playing at the Confraternity Carnival for St Mary’s Toowoomba was one of my most enduring junior footy memories.
“Everyone respected each other whilst still being very competitive, and team spirit and pride in one’s school was enormous. I met a huge number of people, many of whom I still count as friends today.”
Former Cowboys and Origin back Paul Bowman said that winning the Confraternity Shield was the pinnacle of schoolboy rugby league in Queensland.
“When I started school at St Brendan’s, I aspired to one day play in the Carnival,” Bowman said.
“When Brendan’s hosted the shield in 1990, I was amazed at the fierceness of the games and the respect amongst combatants. The highlight of the carnival though is the coming together of teammates, competitors, families and friends with the spirit of the carnival forging friendships that will last a lifetime.”
