Aaron Payne Cup and NQ Schoolgirls Cup round 1 Teams of the Week plus 150-photo gallery
Hat-trick heroes and bone-crunching defensive hit men headlined the round 1 Teams of the Week in North Queensland. See who made the cut and check out 150 of our best photos of the action.
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Hat-trick heroes and bone-crunching defensive hit men headlined the round 1 Teams of the Week after the first round of North Queensland’s premier schools rugby league competitions.
See who made the cut and check out 150 of our best photos of the action.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK
AARON PAYNE CUP
1. Jack Goodale (Holy Spirit)
Holy Spirit’s big-bodied fullback Jack Goodale was one of his side’s best in attack and defence, contesting every play he could with the weight of territory and possession against him. Kicked his team’s only goal and came close to scoring a handful of times.
2. Clarvarn Oth (Kirwan SHS)
Oth was hard to handle out on the left wing, making a scintillating linebreak in the first half before linking up with centre Trent Martin in the final minutes to finish off a full-field try.
3. Trent Martin (Kirwan SHS)
Working his way into the game through his tough defence, including a big play to push his opposite number into touch to win back possession. Was more dangerous with the ball in the second half, breaking the line late and running 70m before unselfishly finding Oth in support.
4. Bradley Pilchowski (Ignatius Park College)
Pilchowski worked well in tandem with his halves and wingers to link up and create regular opportunities for his side to score. Also got on the scoreboard himself with a second-half try.
5. Jerry Mipari (Ignatius Park College)
Mipari was fantastic on Iggy Park’s right edge, showcasing his class with a brilliant try early in the first half. His agility and speed despite his size will make him a headache for any opposition winger.
6. Manua Dau (Kirwan SHS)
Scored a brilliant solo try – his first of two – and assisted another with a perfect chip to Kees Anderson. Was one of Kirwan’s most dangerous in the big win.
7. Ben Walker (St Augustine’s College)
Scored a hat-trick in a dominant victory over Holy Spirit. Also kicked two goals, but it was his ballplaying that really impressed in the 12-tries-to-two win.
8. Anthony Vaigafa (Kirwan SHS)
The mountainous middle forward swung momentum in his team’s favour when he came onto the field off the bench, scoring a second-half try as just rewards for a great game.
9. Darcy McFarlane (St Patrick’s College)
McFarlane was great in defence, rarely missing a tackle despite the imposing Kirwan forward pack running at him all afternoon. Some nice touches in attack as well, although his team only crossed for one try.
10. Cooper Meares (St Augustine’s College)
Meares and front row partner Cayde Miller packed what coach Kris O’Farrell described as a “one-two punch” which battered the unsuspecting Holy Spirit players. The powerful prop led the way on both sides of the ball in an inspirational performance.
11. Zavier Suluvale-Liumaunu (St Augustine’s College)
The brutal backrower’s shoulders were leaving bruises on any player brave enough to take a run towards St Augustine’s right-edge defence. Suluvale-Liumaunu was just as effective in attack, running terrific lines to score two tries including an impressive long-range effort from a scrum play.
12. Joseph Lokotui (Trinity Bay SHS)
Showed some fight for Trinity Bay despite being faced with an elite forward pack. Will be eager to make more of a mark in round 2 after some high praise from coaches during the pre-season.
13. Riley Wells (St Augustine’s College)
A two-try performance from the Saints lock as the boys from Cairns crushed their opponents. Wells was strong and reliable in the 64-6 victory.
14. Ash Summers (St Augustine’s College)
Summers had a strong game at hooker, giving his halves plenty of time and space with his sharp distribution.
15. Cayde Miller (St Augustine’s College)
Miller’s powerful runs and carries devastated Holy Spirit whenever he was on the field, regularly breaking tackles when he had the ball.
16. Chase Sheppard (Ignatius Park College)
Sheppard scored Ignatius Park’s first try inside the opening 10 minutes and kicked four of his six attempts at goal.to amass 12 individual points to sit equal-second in the competition standings after one game.
17. Saul Lokotui (Trinity Bay SHS)
One of Trinity Bay’s key off-season acquisitions, Lokotui impressed with both his strength in the forward pack and creativity with ball in hand.
SCHOOLGIRLS CUP
1. Tah’Lucy Querro (Kirwan SHS)
What a game from Kirwan fullback. Querro was a class above in a strong showing, opening the scoring with a scintillating try from a scrum play.
2. Narzaliah Doolah (St Margaret Mary’s College)
The determined fullback was incredible in defence, saving her team a number of tries with one-on-one efforts. Doolah ensured the result didn’t get too out of hand when all signs pointed to a blowout, and she was a bright spark in attack when her side did get the ball.
3. Courtney Harris (St Patrick’s College)
Harris had a tough job in a well-beaten side but her defence on the edge was terrific. The strong centre also has a good ability to offload, paired with the footy IQ to know when to hold onto the ball.
4. Millie Fulford (Kirwan SHS)
Kirwan’s small but strong centre announced herself onto the Schoolgirls Cup stage with an impressive hat-trick during the 38-4 triumph. Fulford knew when to inject herself into the attack and she showed off plenty of speed.
5. Siena Tabacchi (Kirwan SHS)
A quiet but composed showing from Kirwan’s speed machine on the left wing, scoring a try with her incredible turn of pace to beat the defence on the outside from a scrum play. Tabacchi’s third year with the Grizzlies could be the cross-code star’s best yet.
6. Diaz Bowen (Kirwan SHS)
Bowen didn’t look a step out of place in the role of dominant half and she got even better as her confidence grew during the game. With a handy lead Bowen was able to play with more freedom, unlocking her teammates with her passing and kicking game.
7. Nelly Robertson (Trinity Bay SHS)
With a pair of tries and a perfect seven from seven record on conversions, you can’t look past Robertson for a spot in the halves.
8. Taylar Viero (St Margaret Mary’s College)
The powerful middle forward was strong in the front row, tackling her heart out in a well-beaten side. Viero was also perfect from the tee, making no mistake with her only conversion.
9. Tessa Kanai (Trinity Bay SHS)
Played as a hooker for Trinity Bay and was strong in both attack and defence. Scored a try of her own in the win.
10. Nylani Namai (Kirwan SHS)
Namai’s powerful carries set the tone for her team, helping to get the Grizzlies’ sets rolling. Has strength beyond her size and a big engine.
11. Elishama Suavai (Trinity Bay SHS)
The second rower, fresh off her announcement as the school’s first ever Cowboys NRLW Development player, impressed in her side’s dominant win.
12. Jakaia-Lee Collett (Kirwan SHS)
Collett took little time to impose herself on the contest, crashing over for a try after Diaz Bowen fed her a sublime inside ball deep in attack. The big backrower also used her size well in defence.
13. Serenity Mila (Kirwan SHS)
Mila played in the front row and was strong on both sides of the ball. Didn’t do anything too flashy but mastered the basics of the game and set the platform for her team to shine.
14. Kaitlyn Thiedeke (St Patrick’s College)
One of her school’s brightest sparks in attack and a reliable tackler in defence. Thiedeke continued to test out Kirwan’s defence even with the result out of reach.
15. Keeley Logan (St Patrick’s College)
Logan had some great moments for St Pat’s including a trysaving tackle on Millie Fulford when it looked like the crafty centre was in for all money. Had a few costly errors at the back-end of the game but still one of her team’s best.
16. Olivia Fletcher (St Margaret Mary’s College)
In what was a tough day out for her squad, Fletcher was still able to play a role in creating some attacking play, and would be a useful utility option for this side.
17. Megan Trezise (Trinity Bay SHS)
Was critical to setting up Trinity Bay’s attacking play from the fullback position, and was able to take the ball cleanly and prevent the opposition from gaining too much field position.
PHOTO GALLERY
Originally published as Aaron Payne Cup and NQ Schoolgirls Cup round 1 Teams of the Week plus 150-photo gallery
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