Live stream: Catch two days of Bill Turner Cup and Trophy finals action from Lake Macquarie
The finals have been run and won with two Sydney schools coming out on top in a thrilling day of finals action at the Bill Turner Schools Football tournament. Watch the REPLAYS.
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A painstaking three-year journey has culminated in a national championship for the boys of Killarney Heights High School.
The Sydneysiders have climbed the Bill Turner Cup mountain, knocking off Brisbane trophy hunters Corinda State High 3-0 in Wednesday’s final.
For Killarney Heights coach Zeke Desiatnik, it was the realisation of a dream one that he had put plenty of hours and his own equipment into.
Killarney Heights HS v Corinda SHS (Cup Final)
“It’s been a three year project,” Desiatnik said. “Two of the balls in our kit are from my house.
“Hopefully we can create something special for the future of the boys and girls who want to play soccer on the northern beaches.’’
While the scoreboard might seem like the NSW champions had their way in the final, it was far from an easy ride.
The first half was a true grand final arm-wrestle with neither side able to break the 0-0 deadlock.
But a penalty midway through the second half, duly converted by Killarney Heights Nat Evans, opened the floodgates for the school.
Ben Suen latched onto the end of a cross to double the lead before Declan Feng drove home the victory in the final minutes from the spot.
“They were a good team,’’ Desiatnik said.
“We switched on in the second half but credit to them, they rattled us for the first half.”
The win makes it three straight years of NSW dominance in the Bill Turner School Football finals.
For the past two years NSW schools have emerged triumphant in the boys competition with Endeavour Sports High beating Ipswich Grammar last year and Narrabeen Sports High defeating Endeavour Sports High in 2022.
Prior to this, after a two year Covid break, Queensland’s Ipswich Grammar School had defeated Endeavour Sports High for the Cup.
The Bill Turner Cup is contested by boys Under-15 and includes teams from across the entire eastern seaboard from Melbourne to Cairns.
Trophy final - Cairns SHS v Westfields Sports HS
Westfields Sports High have capped off a historic run through the Bill Turner Trophy, notching their sixth-straight national title.
Westfields decade of dominance in the national knockout tournament continued on Wednesday when they beat Far North Queensland rivals Carins State High 4-1 in the Trophy final.
Cairns SHS v Westfields Sports High (Trophy Final)
The proud Sydney sporting nursery has won 11 of the past 15 Bill Turner Trophy finals dating back to an Alanna Kennedy wonder-goal which downed then three-time champions Hunter Sports High back in 2008.
Westfields dominated the pitch to win the match 4-1 and take the silverware.
Charlotte Bradshaw scored a double for the champions in the first half in a hard-turning performance.
Claire Corbett was first to score in the second with Gisella Pangallo finishing off the job for Westfields later in the game.
Alisa Mays was Cairns’ lone goal scorer midway through the first half.
Cairns SHS v Westfields Sports High (Trophy Final) - Bill Turner Cup National Finals Series Day 2
Cup 3rd Place: Newcastle High v Illawarra Sports High
In this all NSW battle, the locals started hard and were rewarded with an early goal just minutes into the race for third place.
Newcastle High School broke through again in the 28th to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Newcastle High v Illawarra Sports High (Cup Third Place Playoff)
Will Parkinson was Newcastle’s first scorer in the 2nd minute of match with Darcy Goodwin adding to the scoresheet in the 28th minute.
Illawarra showed plenty of fighting spirit as they attempted to play their way back into the game but were thwarted by strong defence from their Newcastle rivals.
“Great bunch of boys. They worked hard today. Great to see,” said Newcastle coach Michael Kondov.
“It was all about working hard and working as a team.
“Therese are no individuals out there. They all work hard for each other. Without that there is no team.”
Trophy 3rd Place: St John Paul College v Maribyrnong College
In the fight for third place at the national event Maribyrnong set up their big win with a hat-trick of goals in the first half of their match with St John Paul College.
St John Paul College v Maribyrnong Secondary College (Trophy Third Place Playoff)
Mia Crawford was first to strike in the opening five minutes of the match.
The team then added more points to the scorecard form and Abigail Ellinhaus goal.
The third goal before halftime was scored by Salma Sanghera with her side teventually taking the match 7-0.
One o the stars of the match was young gun Aeryn Tarrant.
“I’m very proud of the girls. They dedicate a lot of their time and effort in becoming better footballers so this is a good recognition for the hard work they out in,” said Maribyrnong coach Adrian Mazzarella.
“It’s a great opportunity to come interstate and play other schools . Very appreciative of the tournament and the organisation.”
PREVIEW
The grand final stage is set in the Bill Turner School Football finals.
School football behemoths Westfields Sports High will be chasing a record sixth-straight title in the Bill Turner Trophy final against a familiar foe in Far North Queensland juggernaut Cairns State High.
In the Bill Turner Cup final, Killarney Heights High School coach Zeke Desiatnik will be determined to realise a three-year dream to hoist the national trophy as his side takes on Brisbane powerhouse Corinda State High.
Watch all of the national finals and third-place play-offs LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV on Wednesday. See the full live stream schedule below.
Scroll down to read how each semi-final unfolded and watch the replays from Tuesday’s action.
Cup semi-final: Killarney Heights v Illawarra Sports
In a tit-for-tat first half highlighted by tough tackling and speed, little separated the two schools in this semi-final between Killarney Heights and Illawarra Sports High.
But something had to give and eventually patience and composure paid dividends for Killarney Heights who broke through in the 28th minute for first points.
Killarney Heights HS v Illawarra Sports HS (Cup semi final)
Benjamin Suen claimed the first goal with Seo’s McGee slotting one past the busy Illawarra keeper in the 46th minute to put Killarney in control.
A fighting Illawarra were unable to replicate their rivals feat with Killarney moving into Wednesday’s finals.
“It’s a bit emotional. Soccer isn’t big in our school but I have been working three years for this moment,” said coach Zeke Desiatnik.
“These guys have played together since primary school. All I had to do was mould it.
“I have never had such a quality side and I’ve been doing this for 20 years.”
Cup semi-final: Corinda State High v Newcastle State High
Brisbane school Corinda State High have continued their epic run of form following their Queensland Schools Premier League triumph by booking a spot in the Bill Turner Cup national final.
Corinda defied a wild and windy afternoon at Lake Macquarie Regional Football facility to down highly-fancied rivals Newcastle High 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Corinda State High School v Newcastle High School (Cup semi final)
Elias Caperna proved the difference for the Queenslanders with his cracking 22nd minute strike the only goal in a back and forth contest.
“That was a bit of a battle,” said coach Joe Duckworth before gathering his players to watch the second semi battle.
“It seems to be the theme of the Cup runners, the 1-0 battles, so hopefully one more tomorrow.”
Trophy semi-final: Westfields Sports High v Maribyrnong Secondary College
Defending Bill Turner Trophy champions Westfield Sports High dream of clinching a record sixth-straight title is well and truly alive after they cruised into the Trophy final.
A second-half double to hard-working midfielder Tyra Bagiante put an emphatic finish to Westfields 4-0 semi-final thumping of Victorian qualifiers Maribyrnong College on Tuesday.
Westfields Sports High v Maribyrnong Secondary College (Trophy semi final)
In a repeat of last year’s Trophy final, Westfields stormed out to an early lead against their southern rivals courtesy of sensational goals from Matilda Diaz Wadewitz and Claire Corbett.
While they might have proven unstoppable for the Victorian qualifiers, experienced Westfields coach Victoria Guzman said her players would spend the night watching the replay of the semi-final looking for areas to improve ahead of Wednesday’s grand final clash.
“They showcase some of what we want to see,” Guzman said.
“It’s good to be be at this tournament, under pressure. It’s good to be back and we are very excited to be here.”
Westfields have won the past six trophies dating back to 2017. The tournament was not held between 2020-21 due to the pandemic.
Trophy semi-final: St John Paul College v Cairns State High
St John Paul College from Coffs Harbour have turned plenty of heads this season en-route to the finals series of the Bill Turner Trophy.
But on Tuesday an in-form Cairns State High stopped them in their tracks.
The girls from Far North Queensland, fresh from a win over Chancellor State College (0/3-0/2) in a penalty shoot in the quarters, took an early hold on the match with goals from Emily Carless in the fifth and Alisha Mays in the 11th minutes.
Replay: Cairns State High School v St John Paul College (Trophy semi final)
St John Paul College managed to break back into the contest late in the opening half to send the sides into the break at 2-1.
Mays kicked her second goal for Cairns in the 35th minute with Ruby Tainsh putting the match away in the 49th as the Queensland side confirmed themselves as contenders for the overall win this season.
“It feels fantastic,” said Cairns coach Joshua Purton.
“First time in our school history we have had a team in the national final so it’s a great opportunity for the girls to promote their school and football in the Cairns region.”
PREVIEW
“They’re pumped”.
Two simple words sum up how Illawarra Sports High School feels about their tilt at Bill Turner Cup glory.
There’s always been a sense of excitement about what this particular group can do, and for goalkeeper coach David Curley he hopes the boys can cap off the competition in style.
Catch all the action from the Bill Turner boys and girls finals LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV on Tuesday, September 3 and Wednesday, September 4 from the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility at Speers Point.
Check the full LIVE STREAM schedule below.
“We’ve got a good generation at the moment, and for a couple of years I’ve been thinking that in 2024 we can have a good Bill Turner Cup team,” Curley said.
“There’s a feeling that we can win this. They’re a really committed group to doing the best they can.”
One trait that has really stood out for Curley is their ability to fight back from adversity and find a way to win.
One both occasions in the last round they had to come from 1-0 down in order to keep their Bill Turner hopes alive, and Curley credits the mateship they share off the field as key to that.
“In our last couple of games we came from behind against some really good teams. We showed a lot of character to come from down 1-0 to win 2-1,” he said.
“They find a way to do it. That’s the great thing about school football, they’re best mates. A lot of them play together in the local NPL1 team. There’s five or six from the Wolves and a few have played at the National Championships.
“Max Linton was recently chosen in the U16s All Schools Australian team, but there’s no superstars in the team, we play as one.
“We quite enjoy being the underdogs. People from the big city think they can make a mess of us. It’s a steel town thing.”
Curley knows they will need to be at their best against some of the top schools in the country, but said there is a belief they can get the job done.
“We want to win it,” he said.
“What we’ve learnt is that the teams we have played were quality. Once you get to the pointy end of a competition, anything can happen.”
The game where it all clicked for Bill Turner Trophy hopeful
They are the country school mixing it with the big guns, but who’s to say the dream run of St John Paul College can’t continue?
The Coffs Harbour school enters the finals of the Bill Turner Trophy with the underdog tag in their clash against Cairns State High, but it’s something they are used to and embracing ahead of their date with destiny.
St John Paul head of sport Danielle McAra admitted her girls ‘had quite a few tough games leading into this one’, but she pinpointed one as the moment it all clicked.
“We travelled away to Tamworth and played against Carinya Christian School. They bussed their whole school there and we had just our 16 players and coaches on the bus,” she said.
“It was us against the whole school. There was a moment we realised that if we can win in this situation with what felt like there were so many people against us, it gives us confidence that we can do it at the next level.”
McAra said the entire school has expressed their pride in their achievements to date, serving as inspiration to younger students.
“Being young ladies who are still into sport, it’s wonderful to see some of their dreams realised, playing at a high level and having that acknowledged by the school and their peers,” she said.
“We’d really like the girls to take that pride away with them. They’ve achieved such a wonderful level already regardless of the outcome at Lake Macquarie.”
Over the course of the competition they have had to call on every member of the squad to come up with the goods and keep their momentum trucking, something McAra said would be their greatest asset heading into do-or-die fixtures.
“The key with this group is they’re a team,” she said.
“They’re very good at supporting each other and filling in the gaps. They communicate with each other and pat each other on the back. They have an incredible commitment to the team above the individual.”
Originally published as Live stream: Catch two days of Bill Turner Cup and Trophy finals action from Lake Macquarie
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