2025 Aaron Payne Cup live stream: Holy Spirit College v Kirwan State High, Round 3
A lengthy injury delay merely delayed the inevitable for Kirwan High as the Bears ran in seven tries in a big second half against Holy Spirit. Watch the REPLAYS.
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Kirwan’s lethal right-edge attack were at their brilliant best in an abbreviated meeting with Aaron Payne Cup minnows Holy Spirit College, cashing in with six tries in a 48-0 triumph.
Kirwan Cubs 2024 graduates Trent Martin and Clarvarn Oth continued their impressive start to opens football with two tries each as the Bears scored more than a point per minute.
WATCH THE FULL MATCH REPLAY ABOVE, SCROLL DOWN FOR THE SCHOOLGIRLS CUP WRAP AND REPLAY
A lengthy injury delay forced the first half to be scrapped after just 10 minutes of play when a Holy Spirit forward had to be assisted from the field following a leg injury.
The Bears had raced out to an 8-0 off the back of tries to Oth and Gausa Dau before the 40-minute delay resulted in play resuming from the start of the second half.
Kirwan’s class was evident even with only 40 minutes of action, crossing the line on seven occasions in the second half.
The Bears took little time to flex their muscles during an electric opening and Oth gave his team the lead when Martin provided him with just enough space to beat his man on the outside before dragging the cover defence with him for 10 metres on his way to the line.
Holy Spirit’s biggest weakness this season has been completing sets and getting out of their own half without handing back possession with a silly error or errant pass, and that was again a theme for the Mackay side.
Oth scored his second try four minutes after play resumed, waiting patiently for a Martin offload that he knew would come once the Bears centre attracted the defenders.
Martin got his name on the score sheet when he breezed through the defence with his impressive balance and strong fend.
The well-rounded centre made it back-to-back meat pies with a simple try from a scrum play, swatting Michael Thomas away with a big left-handed ‘don’t argue’ to stroll over.
Bears outside back Kai Kelly scored a spectacular try on his team debut, taking the place of Oth on the right edge and instantly cashing in when Martin found him with a nice pass.
Kelly had plenty of work to do, getting the better of three defenders in the corner of the field to dive over.
Powerful impact forward Anthony Vaigafa and Rylan Muaulu terrorised the tired defence when they entered the fray, making big metres and each scoring a try in the one-sided affair.
HOLY SPIRIT 0 def by KIRWAN 48 (Clarvarn Oth 2, Gausa Dau, Trent Martin 2, Kai Kelly, Anthony Vaigafa, Rylan Muaulu, Mathew Belyea tries; Riley Carbone 6 goals)
SCHOOLGIRLS CUP WRAP
As legendary Cowboys fullback Matty Bowen watched on from the sidelines, rising star Tah’Lucy Querro put on a clinic of her own in the No. 1.
The Grizzlies fullback was simply unstoppable, breaking more than 30 tackles for the game on her way to three tries.
It was a performance that underscored a dominant Grizzlies performance, scoring more than a point a minute in their 54-0 demolition of Holy Spirit.
Querro and lightning-quick centre Millie Fulford each bagged first-half doubles as Kirwan stamped its authority as competition frontrunners in 2025.
Holy Spirit College v Kirwan SHS (QLD NRL Schoolgirls Cup)
Fulford opened the scoring for the visitors with a full-field effort after defusing an Abby Callander bomb on the full, beating her player on the outside and blitzing past the fullback.
Kirwan scored a second full-field try minutes later when the powerful Querro shrugged off two tacklers who made the mistake of going high on one of North Queensland’s best junior female talents, burning the cover defence with her blistering pace before converting her own try.
Querro then beat nine tackles on the way to the line for her second try in as many minutes, using her deadly right-foot step to jink her way through the defensive line and her powerful fend to overpower Callander as the last line of defence.
Callander had a tough day in the office as Holy Spirit’s custodian, called upon to make a number of one-on-one tackles after the school’s defensive line was broken.
Kirwan’s young centre Jurney Mila scored her first Grizzlies try in the late stages of the half and when Namai dummied and raced 70 metres to score another long-range effort, it was clear that Holy Spirit would not be fighting back into the contest.
Trailing 32-0 at the break, Holy Spirit dished up more of the same in the second half as Querro strolled through flimsy defence to open the scoring after four minutes as the Grizzlies mauled the girls from Mackay.
Kirwan went on to score five second-half tries in the emphatic victory, but an injury to forward Tahlia Bulsey in the final stages of the match dampened celebrations.
HOLY SPIRIT 0 def by KIRWAN 56 (Tah’Lucy Querro 3, Millie Fulford 2, Jurney Mila 2, Nylani Namai 2, Jakaia-Lee Collett, Ava Wagner tries; Tah’Lucy Querro 5, Mia Pashley goals)
PREVIEW
After allowing 60 or more points in their opening two games of the Aaron Payne Cup, the challenge does not get any easier for Holy Spirit College.
The Mackay side returns home this week to host reigning Payne Cup champions Kirwan State High.
The clash will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV on Monday as part of a massive double header along with the NRL Schoolgirls Cup matches.
Watch every game of the Aaron Payne Cup and NQ Schoolgirls Cup live and exclusive on KommunityTV, available with your subscription to this masthead. See the full schedule of Round 3 games below.
The Bears are in formidable form to start the schoolboys cup season, dispatching St patrick’s College and St Augustine’s College in the opening fortnight.
But they will turn to a couple of untested rookies for the clash with Holy Spirit as coach Todd Wilson tests the depths of his squad.
Kirwan will unleash two rising young guns for their Bears debut on Monday with backrower Ezeziel Saylor-Pau and outside back Kai Kelly elevated to the bench.
“It’s finding that balance between maintaining consistency and also giving some boys opportunities at certain times. So only the two changes this week,” Wilson said.
“We want to find more consistency within our game. Playing some consistent footy is our focus.
“Ezekiel is going to play his first game. He’s a Townsville boy. Sian (Matane) is crook so Ezekiel will replace him off the bench as a backrower.
“Kai Kelly will come onto the bench this week as well. He’s an outside back.
“They’re both year 12 boys and they’ll come in, both onto the bench, to play their first game.”
Kirwan’s Schoolgirls Cup team, the Grizzlies, have joined the Bears on the bus down the Bruce Highway, preparing to face Holy Spirit after an emphatic 38-4 Round 1 victory over St Patrick’s College a fortnight ago.
Holy Spirit had its own win in its Schoolgirls Cup season-opener last week, claiming the competition points due to a St Margaret Mary’s College forfeit.
St Margaret Mary’s ultimately won the game 16-12, but it counted as a 40-0 victory to Holy Spirit.
The Schoolgirls Cup match kicks off at 12.30pm, immediately followed by the Aaron Payne Cup clash at 1.30pm.
Originally published as 2025 Aaron Payne Cup live stream: Holy Spirit College v Kirwan State High, Round 3
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