Inside Mackay’s hosting of Confraternity and QISSN carnival success

Mackay’s hosting of the inaugural joint Confraternity and QISSN carnival was a raging success for the whole region as some of the best teams in the state were pitted against each other. Here are 13 standout athletes from the carnival.

What a week of netball and rugby league it was for some of Mackay’s junior athletes, in a history-making event for Queensland school sport.

Thousands of people flocked to the region for the first joint Confraternity Shield and Independent Schools Sport Netball carnival, filling Mackay’s many hotels, restaurants and cafes all week long.

Mackay Regional Council estimates the carnival drew 5000 out-of-region visitors and led to a $4.455 million economic injection.

The ability to have rugby fields and netball facilities nearby to each other in South Mackay was an asset not available in many locations across Queensland.

It may have been the first time the region has hosted the Confraternity event in almost three decades, but the Mackay organisers are hopeful the tournament will return far sooner.

While the business sector thrived, it was the athletes who shined.

Here are the top 13 Mackay performers from the week of sport in no particular order:

Xavier Kerrisk

The St Pat’s star hooker was fearless in his first year in the senior program.

Kerrisk tackled hard and was a creative presence out of dummy half.

He constantly had opposition defences under pressure with the ball near the try line and scored three tries for the carnival.

Kerrisk was awarded the best and fairest award for the week and selected in the 2022 QISSRL Honorary Representative team.

Rebecca Symons

The sharpshooter was scintillating throughout the carnival and at different stages spectators were left surprised when she would miss.

Symons not only impacted the scoreboard but was a vital defensive presence in the attacking third for St Pat’s.

She was awarded most valuable player for her side.

Preetika Vella

Tireless effort was the key to Vella’s QISSN performance for Holy Spirit College.

She ran and ran all week long and was as consistent as any performer on this list.

Vella was awarded her team’s most valuable player.

Henry Thorpe

Playing most of the tournament from lock, the St Pat’s captain was a steadying influence on a side with a mixed amount of experience at the level.

In the final game where St Pat’s were overwhelmed by Iggy Park, he was one of the shining lights and appeared to be one of the calm heads as the scoreboard pressure mounted.

He was rewarded for his efforts with a place on QISSRL’s Honorary Representative team.

Ysobel Maher

The captain of the St Pat’s side, Maher was a reliable performer all week long.

Her ability to go from coast to coast on offence and defence without taking a play off, wore down opposing centres.

Ethan Goodwin

The Holy Spirit prop ran the length of the field for a try at the death of his side’s nail-biting 24-18 win on day four against Assumption College.

Goodwin’s two-try performance was pivotal in Holy Spirit getting over the line.

Gracie Watt

The St Pat’s girls side was undersized in many of their match-ups over the course of the week.

However the desire and bravery of their forward pack allowed them to punch above their weight.

Watt was central to this, with her willingness to bare the very worst of what opposition tacklers had to give out, essential in protecting the smaller, perhaps more creative players in her side.

Her pinnacle performance came in her side’s final loss to a fierce Marymount.

Kai Simon

The towering centre brings a significant amount of class for someone of his size.

His 34 points for the tournament were influential in St Pat’s making the final.

Paityne Johns

Her brutal try in the St Pat’s final was the perfect way to sum up her carnival.

She was able to be brilliant across the four days, but not without copping more than her fair share of punishment.

Hampered by injury from an incident in the final, Johns limped around as she put her body in front of girls almost twice her size.

She was awarded the team’s best and fairest award.

Jordyn Denham

While goalkeepers on opposition teams gave up penalties and easy shots, Denham did a great job of not giving up easy points.

She was also superb at linking with her centre players to kickstart offence for her Holy Spirit side.

Charlie Gosper

Fearless in attack and tireless in defence, Gosper led from the front.

The second rower was awarded best and fairest for the carnival for Holy Spirit.

Mersades Lawson

The orchestrator for the St Pat’s girls, Lawson’s crafty kicking and sweeping long passes added an important dimension to her side’s offensive game.

She led the team with three tries.

Lauren Jones

The second rower was likely St Pat’s tallest player, but was relied upon for her outside class.

Jones was also the first in line to try crash through a wall of defenders.

She scored three tries and 22 points for the carnival.