AIC First XIII rugby league dream teams from Padua, Ash and Iona
AIC rugby league nostalgia special - here’s a trip down memory lane with four special all-star teams from the past as Iona College eyes 2024 premiership. Current young guns also featured.
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How is this for a series of rugby league dream teams from Iona College, Padua, Marist College Ashgrove and St Edmund’s?
And to top it off, we have also named an All-Star composite side from the other top flight AIC league schools - St Laurence’s, St Patrick’s, Villanova College, St Peters and Ambrose Treacy.
As Iona College eyes the cherished 2024 AIC premiership if they beat Villanova on Saturday, we celebrate that college’s great from the past - and the finest of league players from other AIC schools.
The selections for Iona, Eddies and Marist All-Star teams were our opinion here at News Corp, and not official teams supplied by the colleges.
However, the Padua’s team named below was presented by staff to the community at a function in 2016.
The only change to that Padua side we have made was to elevate current Queensland prop and Kangaroo Lindsay Collins into the top 13 - with former Brothers champion and state prop Lenny Dittmar dropping back to the reserves to accommodate him.
So here they are, four super sides from Iona, Padua, Ashgrove and Eddies, and one All-Star side made up of elite players from the other top tier AIC school systems.
Who do you think has the better side?
IONA COLLEGE
1. Phil Attel
A Wynnum North State School student, he did his secondary schooling at Iona. before shining for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. A crowd favourite Attel, who once held the 100m grass school record, was a thrilling fullback talent.
2. Jeff Doyle
Doyle was a North Sydney, Newcastle and the Western Reds centre or winger who also played for the famous Hull club in northern England.
3. Graham Quinn
Quinn was an outstanding BRL centre for Brothers who played in a grand final and for Queensland before being signed by St George. He won two premierships at the Dragons, was once the club captain, Quinn also played one Origin and one Test for Australia.
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4. Chris McKenna
McKenna was an elite second rower or centre who played for both Queensland and Australia. A State of Origin series winner as a second rower, we named him at centre to get the best possible players into our side.
5. Brett French
French was also playing one wider than his normal position, on the wing. He was a premiership winning centre with Wynnum who represented Queensland and who was a part of the Seagulls’ golden era of the 1980s.
6. Rod Doyle
The versatile Doyle played for Eastern Suburbs, St. George and South Queensland in the NSWRL/ARL competitions, and later in the England Super League.
7. Lachlan Lewis
From the famous Lewis’ family - his father was Scott and his uncle the immortal Wally - Lewis was an outstanding halfback in his own right who played strongly in the Q-Cup and late for Canterbury in the NRL.
8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Recently crowned the Roosters’ longest serving first grade player (307 games), hard man Waerea-Hargreaves was a rugby union tearaway who attracted interest from multiple Sydney clubs before Manly initially won the race for his signature. He is a New Zealand Test great.
9. Max Plath
Considered for State of Origin this season after an outstanding season for the Dolphins as a No.13, we named him at hooker because he just had to be in the top 13. He’d do the job with ease.
10. Dave Tyrrell
Originally a winger, Tyrell went the whole journey and ended up playing prop for South Sydney. He played 155 times for the Rabbitohs and will be cherished by the legion of Red and Green fans for helping Souths win the 2014 premiership.
11. Ian French
French was a class act, a wonderful running back row forward who had a ball running off the great Wally Lewis and sometimes Gene Miles. He was also tough in the tight, playing 71 ARL games for the North Sydney Bears.
12. Mitchell Dodds
Dodds was a tough as teak worker who broke into the Brisbane Broncos side as a defensive specialist. A Capalaba Warriors junior who was a proud Wynnum Manly boy, he was safe and dependable.
13. Bob Lindner
Lindner is rarely mentioned as one of the greats of the modern game, but he should be in every Hall of Fame discussion. Queensland would not swap Lindner for anyone on Origin night. He was an athletic forward who once played several minutes for Queensland with a broken leg before collapsing on his face. Lindner had tried to play on (1989, Sydney) because Queensland had no reserves left to replace him. He played 25 Origins and 22 Tests.
Reserves: 14. Harrison Graham, 15. Danny McAllister, 16. Andrew Tessman, 17. David Georgiou
Coach: Mr Sacre with Chris McKenna as his assistant.
Honorary chaplain. Father Michael Twigg.
Modern day marvels: Tyler Perira, Levi Hawea and fullback and halfback respectively have run the side magnificently, with lots of support from goal kicking ace Campbell Rolfe.
Exciting modern prospect: Connor Quinn
Black book prospects: Cooper Benvenuti, Matt Doherty, Blaze Mohi
Engine room marvel: Fononga Tuitahi
Revelation: Pat Phakanam
Interchange king: Hopa Leota
Special mention for old boys: Jeremy Trappett, Will Lane, Sully and Ayden Hoad.
MARIST COLLEGE ASHGROVE
1. Phil Veivers
From a famous rugby league family - four members of his family played for Queensland or Australian in either league or cricket - Phil Veivers was an elite fullback who became a legend playing with the St Helen’s club in England.
2. Clinton Mohr
With blazing speed, Mohr was named the 1987 Rugby League Week player of the year, an esteemed award of its era. The Brothers BRL premiership winner then enjoyed good careers with St George and the Gold Coast.
3. Bob Honan
The brother of decorated Ashgrove Wallaby Barry Honan, Bob was a premiership winner with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the famous era stretching 1967-1975. He also played for NSW and twice for Australia.
4. Troy McCarthy
The son of a gun - his father is Rabbitohs legend Bob McCarthy - centre McCarthy was a strongly built, outstanding defender with sure hands who etched out his own distinguished career playing for the Gold Coast. The goal kicking centre later when on to become a fine club coach.
5. Wayne Stewart
An elite goal kicker, Stewart was a part of a golden era of rugby league when he sat on the end of an All-Star Wests Panthers backline in the 1970s. He played for Queensland and Australia.
6. Gary Kerr
Gary Kerr was a Bulimba Cup winner with Toowoomba. Anyone that played in a Bulimba Cup winning side, an elite competition of its day, deserves a badge of honour, so tough and competitive was the competition at the time.
Coast.
7. Eric Gelling (captain)
Captain courageous, the tough little halfback was a Brisbane Brothers champion in the BRL. The premiership winner was a regular in Queensland teams between 1965-68.
8. Peter Anderson
A loveable rogue, Anderson was an outstanding ball playing prop who was a part of two Easts Tigers grand final campaigns in the Q-Cup under the coach of Queensland legend Johnny Lang. Anderson also played for Combined Brisbane.
9. Mick Cook
Cook, the brother of Terry, was a ripping old fashioned hooker - country tough with footy smarts and ball skills. He was outstanding.
10. Craig Teitzel
A rugged front rower who was a boarder from Tully, Teitzel played more than 100 top flight matches in the toughest position on the field - front row. He played for Wests,
Illawarra and the Cowboys in either the ARL/NRL, and also with Warrington Wolves in England, a league where they took no prisoners.
11. Mick McLean
Another North Queensland boy who boarder - McLean came from the Bowen district and was signed from the powerhouse Brisbane Easts club to join the Roosters. He played in Queensland’s 1991 series winning State of Origin which sent Wally Lewis into representative retirement.
12. Terry Cook
A publican on the Darling Downs, Cook was a self made rugby league player who once wrote to the then Gold Coast Giants coach Bob McCarthy asking for a trial. He played for both the Coast and the SQ Crushers (81 games in total), but his most famous achievement was being a member of Paul Vautin’s “No-Names” who shocked by winning the 1995 State of Origin series.
13. Robert Reeves
Reeves is revered on the Darling Downs where he once scored nine tries in a match playing for Stanthorpe - and gave the last pass for a 10th try. But onlookers said he could have easily scored all 10 tries that day for the Gremlins. Reeves, who lives in a beautiful, peaceful setting on the outskirts of the Granite Belt town, played with distinction for Queensland country.
Reserves: Frank Melit, Tim Dwyer, George Doniger, Gavin Darwin, Darren McCarthy, Mick Harkin.
Special mention reserve: Paul Frisby
Exciting old boy prospect: Josh Billing.
Recent old boy marvel: Leon Karena.
Modern marvels: Tom Howard, Jasper Barry, Lachlan McCall, Sean Green,
PADUA
1. Brad Watts, 2. Terry O’Regan, 3. David Bouveng, 4. Wayne Halverson, 5. Chey Bird, 6. Scott Maguire, 7. Shane Perry, 8. David Shillington, 9. David Stagg, 10. Lindsay Collins, 11. Dane Carlaw, 12. Paul McCabe, 13. Paul Vautin ©, 14. Lenny Dittmar, 15. Peter Stark, 16. Pat Hannan, 17. John McCabe, 18. Steve Davis, 19. Rohan Ahern, 20. Brendan Currie, 21. John Shillington
Exciting modern day prospect: Jayden Solien, Damon Humphrys.
Special mention: Fynn Dalton, Callum Rooney
Tough little roostermention: Brock Dillon
Best recent old boy: Mitch Rogers (2022)
The strength of his Padua side would be its forwards, although five-eight Scott Maguire had a killer left foot kicking game while Perry was a multiple premiership winner with the champion Redcliffe Dolphins before helping the Broncos win its last premiership in 2006.
Padua’s history in providing Test and Queensland forwards is unsurpassed - possibly by any school in Australia.
Consider these outstanding old boy forwards:
David Shillington: From Brothers juniors at Gibson Park, the giant Shillington was the mainstay of the Australian pack between 2009-12 when he was capped 14 times. Recruited by the Roosters, he went on to play 215 NRL games, mostly with the Raiders before finishing at the Gold Coast. He played with distinction for Queensland on eight occasions.
David Stagg: A former Queensland Cup player of the year, Stagg was a member of the Broncos’ last premiership winning side in 2006. Noted for his “protection’’ of Darren Lockyer in defence, Stagg was a wonderful, honest as the day is long back rower or centre who thoroughly deserved his one State of Origin jersey.
Paul McCabe: McCabe was a wonderful wide running second rower who played a leading role in helping Padua College make the Amco Shield national schoolboy grand final in 1978. Recruited by the North Sydney Bears, his best football came at the Roosters, and then at Manly where he played prop in two grand finals. McCabe played five Origins and six Tests.
Paul Vautin: Vautin was captain courageous for Manly (204 games), a small lock who played well above his weight. He was all heart and soul for Queensland in 22 State of Origins. Vautin was also a Test forward who coached Queensland to the extraordinary “Fatties No Names’’ State of Origin series win in 1995. He was a Wests Mitchelton junior.
Lenny Dittmar: Dittmar was one of the toughest players of his era in time when fists, elbows, knees flew as freely as litter blows through the grounds of the Ekka when the westerly winds hit the show each August. From the powerful Brothers club, he played for Queensland.
Another noted forward of the 1970s was another old boy, John McCabe, who made our News Corp BRL team of the 1970s as a reserve. He was a tall, lanky player who was awkward to tackle.
But across his 204 NRL games, he played almost half at Canterbury (94) where he was highly respected. His Bulldogs career included a grand final appearance, and once he made 64 tackles in a match against Cronulla-Sutherland.
Lindsay Collins: A modern day Marvell who broke into Test football last year, Collins is now one of the leading props in the competition. But we had to go about it the long way. A Brothers junior from Gibson Park, Collins was originally recruited by the Broncos but it was not until he moved to the Roosters that he fulfilled his potential. It is little known that Collins is also one of the fastest players at the Rooster.
Dane Carlaw: Carlaw twice scored remarkable, match winning tries for Queensland in State of Origin. Not unlike Paul McCabe who we feature below, the athletic Carlaw was a wonderful wide running forward. Carlaw is famously remember for a spray from former Maroons Test prop Greg Dowling who commented before an Origin clash that he “Looked like Tarzan and played like Jane.’’ It is little known that those comments by Dowling were a deliberate ploy by Dowling, Queensland coach Wayne Bennett and The Courier-Mail to try and fire him up for a big match, The barb worked as Carlaw had a blinder for Queensland.
ST EDMUND’S
Fullback: Paul McLean - one of the great Wallabies since World War II who was a dashing fullback
Wing: Doug McLean Jnr - a rare gem who had the distinction of playing for both the Kangaroos and Wallabies
Centre: Sam Johnson - A Scotland Rugby International, Queensland Reds and Titans league player who was a back rower, but who could play centre with ease.
Centre: Dennis Flannery - the Queensland Team of the Century centre and Kangaroo
Wing: Jeff McLean - Paul McLean’s brother, Jeff was an outstanding Wallaby winger
Five-eight: Frank Doonar - a special talent who played one Test
Halfback: James Stannard - a long standing Australian seven-a-side talent
Prop: Noel Kelly - a Queensland and Australian hooker legend who could also play prop
Hooker: Jake Turpin - a tough tackling hooker who played above his weight for the Broncos, Storm and Bulldogs.
Prop: Peter Gallagher - an absolutely legend who was captain of the Kangaroos after a glittering career with Brisbane Brothers
Second row: Jeremy Schloss - Schloss rose to represent Queensland in a State of Origin series and played NRL for Souths, Cowboys and Gold Coast)
Second row: Jo Ofahengaue - a hard working forward from the Eels, Tigers and Broncos, he played a State of Origin series. He is also a Tongan representative
Lock: Michael Ryan - named out of position here, but the former Broncos and Australian schoolboy hooker would not disappoint with marathon tackling from No.13
Recent top talent: Jack Chancellor
Modern day marvel: Conrad Browne
COMBINED ALL STAR TEAM
This team is made up of the best players from St Patrick’s, St Laurence’s, Ambrose Tracey Villanova and St Edmund’s and St Peters.
Fullback: William Zillman (St Laurence’s)
A smooth operator who could also play centre or wing with ease. He broke into the NRL via the Canberra Raiders and also excelled at the Gold Coast Titans. His father, Mark, was a notable prop with the famous Valley Diehards BRL side in the 1980s.
Wing: Jeral Skelton (St Patrick’s)
An outstanding schoolboy winger, Skelton was originally signed in the NRL by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs before switching codes to play Super Rugby and seven-a-side internationals.
Centre: Mark Harris (St Peters)
While Harris was a rampaging centre or winger for the Roosters and New South Wales in the 1970s, he actually first played at Coopers Plains then Brothers St Brendans before attending school at St Peters Lutheran College. Harris was a member of the school’s 1963 premiership team, a magnificent sportsman who shone in cricket and tennis, while also being a booming kicking on the footy field. He played 11 Test or World Cup rugby league matches.
Centre: Mark Thomas (Villanova)
Thomas’ career flashed past in the blink of an eye . Thomas’ debut season in 1977 was simply sensational when he burst into the Queensland team and, after shining against incumbent Australian centres Cronin and Rogers, was named on the Australian World Cup tour to New Zealand. With a beautiful in and away, Thomas’ continued to shine in 1978 before being struck down by a knee injury. Although he returned to play for Combined Brisbane as a fullback in 1980, he was never the same player and retired young. But he was elite.
Wing: Will Boland (St Patrick’s)
A prodigious schoolboy talent who made the Confraternity Shield Merit side of his era before playing well for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Q-Cup.
Five-eight: Ezra Mam (ATC)
Mam is an electric five-eight talent who scored a remarkable three tries in the Broncos grand final loss last September.
First scouted by former Broncos and now current Dolphins recruitment ace Brian Edwards when he was aged 12, Mam is the cousin of Edrick and Brenko Lee who both played in Queensland’s series deciding Origin clash in 2020.
Halfback: Cooper Cronk (St Laurence’s)
One of the great winning grand final players - he won four titles (Storm and Roosters two each) - he was a remarkable halfback for both Queensland and Australia. He was a noted centre at Laurie’s and was recommended to the Storm by former St Laurence’s teacher Gavin Darwin.
Lock: Bill Tyquin (St Laurence’s)
You know you are a good player when you have an oval name after you. Despite having his career interrupted by World War II, Bill Tyquin was one of Queensland’s greatest players who captained Australia on six occasions.
A Souths lock, he played a dozen Tests and interstate games and in his only season with the famous St George club in Sydney, he won a premiership.
Second row: Michael Crocker (St Patrick’s)
A fire brand, Crocker was an outstanding lock or second rower who took no prisoners. Highly respected as a person, he was recruited by the Roosters from the Redcliffe Dolphins, but his 204 game NRL career also saw him play for the Broncos and Souths. Crocker played 13 matches for Queensland and six Tests.
Second row: Tom Gilbert (St Patrick’s)
Although it has been correctly published that Gilbert is a Brisbane Grammar School old boy, Gilbert attended St Pat’s until the end of Year 12. Two series injuries in the last two seasons have curtailed his career, but fingers crossed he has a full season for the Dolphins next season before the Queensland State of Origin side desperately need his aggression, authority and work rate.
Prop: Christian Welch (Villanova)
A towering front rower, Welch has been a forward leader at the Melbourne Storm through more than 150 matches. He has had a remarkable career, and has been instrumental in Melbourne’s extraordinary record of always making finals. He also played his heart out in six matches for Queensland.
Hooker: Cameron Bukowski (Villanova)
Hooker Bukowski was a Brisbane Broncos-signed hooker who was working his way toward an NRL debut later this decade. A defensive workforce, his speed both with and without the ball gives him a point of difference. He also brings his forwards onto the ball and engages markers.
Prop: Dylan Napa (St Patrick’s)
The aggressive Napa would have been a great teammate to play alongside. He took on the best and biggest with no fear, storming through around 180 NRL matches, mainly with the high class Roosters. He also played bravely for Queensland across seven games. His father Stan was a cult hero in the BRL when he helped Brisbane Norths win the 1980 grand final.
Reserves: Ryley Jacks (St Laurence’s), Jayson Bukuya (St Patrick’s), Brad Meyers (Villanova), Terrence Casey-Douglas (St Patrick’s),
Exciting modern day prospects: Cameron Bukowski (Broncos, Villanova Old Boy), Ryan Jackson (Dolphins, St Laurence’s old boy)
Modern marvels: Jhye Leis, Archie Maddocks, Jack Boland (all St Patrick’s), Hudson Bishop, Jackson Connor, Sam Binney, Nate Wallin (all Villanova), Ben Davis (St Laurence’s).
Extra effort man: Cohen Taylor (St Patrick’s)
Originally published as AIC First XIII rugby league dream teams from Padua, Ash and Iona
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