Langer Trophy report card ahead of the competition resuming
A team that was brought back down to earth with a defeat last week has still scored an A+ mark in our Langer Trophy report card. See how your side is tracking.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
We’d give Mabel Park SHS’s Langer Trophy side an A+ on its mid-season report card as the competition surges into round 5.
This was despite Ipswich SHS bringing Mabel Park back to earth last Wednesday at Langlands Park.
WATCH ROUND 5s MARSDEN v REDCLIFFE REPLAY HERE
WATCH IPSWICH SHS V PBC SHS IN ROUND 5
Three bumper round five Langer matches – and another four Walters Cup clashes – will be live streamed this week by www.couriermail.com.au, the Gold Coast Bulletin and News Corp affiliates via KommunityTV’s streaming platform.
Round 5
Live stream Wednesday:
Mabel v Caloundra
3.00pm Walters Caloundra v Mabel Pk Caloundra RL
4.00pm Langer Caloundra v Mabel Pk Caloundra RL
Ipswich v PBC
3.00pm Walters Stretton v PBC Nth Ipswich Res
5.00pm Langer Ipswich v PBC Nth Ipswich Res
Wavell v Keebra
3.30pm Walters Wavell v Keebra Pk Wavell SHS
4.30pm Langer Wavell v Keebra Pk Wavell SHS
Mabel Park SHS, coached by Ben Weston, have been the competition’s giant killers after three successive wins before losing to Ipswich, although the scoreline did not indicate the closeness of the match.
RELATED LINKS
WATCH REDCLIFFE’S ROUND 4 REPLAY HERE
MARSDEN’S BEST FIRST VIII SINCE 2017
WAVELL V MARSDEN ROUND 4 REPLAY HERE
Mabel Park SHS
Report card A
It has been a wild ride for the passionate Mabel Park supporters cheering on Mabel to three successive wins over Redcliffe, Wavell and Palm Beach Currumbin SHS – before last round’s loss 38-16.
We knew this was the most open Langer Trophy competition in years and Mabel SHS’s march confirms this.
Third season Langer Trophy prop Alex Leapai has led from the front, while centre Jaycob Kingston-Francis and five-eight Lachlan Buchbach have been a revelation. Buchbach is relishing his move from Marsden SHS and enjoying the chance in the big league.
Another new player, Ryan McCann, has been electric at the back and added I dimension to the Mabel play.
Bench players Cooper Day and Braxton Wilson-Clune have been enormous, but everyone is pulling their weight.
Marsden SHS
Reporter card A
Expectations were elevated around Marsden entering the season and so far the group is holding up well. They are unbeaten after five rounds, including a 28-4 win over Wavell last Thursday, and a round 5 wipe out on Sunday, when they beat Redcliffe by 40 point. So it is an A.
They were getting traction from their front rowers, hooking pair Jacob Tinsley and Cory Pearse, while No. 13 Lewis Symonds has been marvellous.
Symonds was one of the best two or three players in the competition not named in the Queensland schoolboys side.
Marsden also had a touch of class added to its back division, with hard working Kylem Vunipola challenging middle forward defenders while Will Semu is in grand form.
Ipswich SHS
Report card A-
Ipswich are back in business – not that they were ever out of business.
Ipswich got an A- because their championship winning team largely disappeared for 2023, yet they remain well and truly in the fight.
The old firm of Tyler Peckham-Harris, Oliva Iaulualo and Jack Laing have shown Ipswich the road toward success, with skipper Iaulualo a real handful. He would have filled out a Queensland schoolboys jersey, not problems, had the chance come his way.
They are full of confidence right now and that’s when they are at their best.
Lock Kane Self is coming to life, while the best is yet to come from wingers Alton Naiyep and Xavier Kirk, who man the edges outside of powerful centres LJ Nonu and Keisaia Su’a.
Keebra Park SHS
Report card B+
Expectations were always elevated when it comes Keebra Park, which is a huge complement.
Keebra is not one of Queensland’s biggest school, yet over achieve in sport.
Ryder Williams, who would not have looked out of place coming off the bench in a Queensland schoolboys side, was showing he was a special player as Keebra Park warms its engines.
Mason Barber continued to go from strength to strength after winning an NRL Academy contract with the Cowboys during the Meninga Cup season, while Zyroam Tarawa-Herlihy has pace to burn. As expected Jack Schmidt was a rock and Xavier Tauaifaiga mightily impressive.
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS
Report card B+
PBC SHS are exactly where we thought they would be – competitive from sunrise to sunset, in every match and as good a chance as anyone of qualifying for grand final day.
We almost marked them an A given the loss of star power from earlier this decade, and PBC SHS were displaying they were a resilient team.
They were playing this season without an Australian schoolboy representative, and life after a superstar Keano Kini or gun centre Michael Roberts cannot be easy.
But PBC SHS were doing well. Very well.
Key position players like Will Saunders and Bailey McConnell were steering the side well.
But the foundation of PBC SHS’s campaign was based around their forwards – with flashes of enterprise from an exciting back division fed by impressive half Bailey Donald.
But the forwards were giving PBC a foundation, with fast improving edge forward Baylen Donald, tough as teak Brady Turner and spritely hooker Will Saunders carrying the lanterns. Saunders is having a great season.
Wavell SHS
Report card C+
Last week probably best summed up Wavell’s start to the season.
They get A for effort but C for execution, which is where their C+ rating comes from.
After a shock start by Marsden when they led 12-nil, Wavell’s defence for long periods was top notch. It was only when they had a player sin-binned that Marsden got away.
Wavell were very competitive and the score did not indicate the close nature of the game.
Where Wavell fell down was its execution. The problem is not effort.
But is anyone prepared to write them off? Anyone? Absolutely not.
Don’t forget it is a young group, so they can be forgiven for taking time to get up to speed and gel. They have so many good players, including inform halfback Zac Herdegen who again did a fine job, and energetic forward Christian Taula.
Redcliffe SHS
Report card C
We’d like to give Redcliffe a C+ because they were playing to the best of their ability, but it is not easy to gain traction against high class rivals.
No one expected the world from them in their second season, and brick by brick Redcliffe SHS was building its castle. Watch the school getter strong and stronger as the seasons roll by.
It is not easy being thrown into the Langer competition at short notice as they were last year, and success does not fall from the sky.
Despite still searching for its first ever win, it is clear Redcliffe advanced again from last year, helped by representative players John Fineanganofo and Loka Toia.
Around them dummy half Hayden Potts was holding the middle together, while impact forward Henry Sologinkin was rising to the occasion alongside Aleki Schuster.
Hang in there. Redcliffe SHS is a natural rugby league talent pool for junior talent, and with the Dolphins now in the NRL, good schoolboys bound for their system were also bound to pass by.
Caloundra SHS
Report card C
It’s been a tough introduction for Caloundra SHS, who are the first ever Sunshine Coast-based school to compete in the prestigious schoolboy competition.
After four rounds against some pretty formidable opponents, they’ve conceded 154 points while only scoring 32 themselves.
“Something that’s new for these guys is maintaining that high intensity for the full match as they don’t get exposed to that a whole lot on the Sunshine Coast,” head coach Toby Poole said.
Each game they’ve given themselves a shot and been in the arm wrestle for at least 30 minutes of the match but if you give these sides a window they’ll make the most of it and that’s been the achilles heel for the Seahawks this season.
With matches against Mabel Park and Ipswich SHS across the next two weeks, it’s hard to see Caloundra turning their current form around but they will be up for the fight against Redcliffe at home in the round seven.
Queensland schoolboys star and Dolphins academy product Zac Garton has been a standout each week, scoring three of Caloundra’s six tries this season.
His efforts have been accompanied by captain and halfback Tully McLellan, while winger Kaden Humphris, hooker Teina Maote, halves partner Jack Philip and prop forward Brad Higgins have also produced respectable performances.
Originally published as Langer Trophy report card ahead of the competition resuming
‘Incredibly sad’: AFL great dead at age 43
A West Coast Eagles premiership star has died at the age of 43 in a week where the AFL has already been rocked by two other tragic deaths.
Tarsha Gale Cup: Every club previewed ahead of 2025 season
The Tarsha Gale Cup is the premier NRLW pathway bringing together the best female U19s talent in the country. We preview the upcoming 2025 season, looking at all 13 teams in the mix.