Facts and figures for record-breaking 2025 Confraternity Carnival
Reigning champs Ignatius Park will take on St Brendan’s as the 45th Confraternity Carnival gets underway in Rockhampton on Monday. Here’s what you need to know about the record-breaking carnival.
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It’s the Confraternity Carnival showdown at high noon that has footy fans buzzing with anticipation.
Reigning champions Ignatius Park will take on 2023 winners St Brendan’s at noon on Monday, midway through the opening day of the carnival being played in Rockhampton.
The blockbuster brings together the two most successful schools, with St Brendan’s having hoisted the coveted Confro Shield 14 times and Ignatius Park eight.
They are among a record 72 teams - 56 boys and 16 girls - contesting The Queensland Independent Secondary School Rugby League event.
It is the fifth time Confro has been held in the Beef Capital and the fourth time it has been hosted by The Cathedral College.
More than 200 games will be played at three venues - Kettle Park, Saleyards Park and TCC - from Monday to Friday.
St Brendan’s coach Scott Minto said his players would be “keen as mustard” to set the tone early.
“It’s probably good to get Ignatius Park first up, to be honest,” he said.
“We want to get stuck into them early and try to upset the apple cart.”
But Ignatius Park has proven a happy hunting ground for Ignatius Park, who won the last two carnivals held in Rockhampton - 2008 and 2016.
Minto was at the helm for St Brendan’s last triumph in Brisbane two years ago and said he could sense a likeness between that team and this year’s outfit.
“Belief is the biggest thing and we all believe in what we can put out on the field,” he said.
“I think we’ve got the personnel and there’s enough there for us to know we can do it.”
Minto is predicting one of the closest carnivals yet, with talented teams in all four Division 1 pools.
“Padua has 14 players backing up from last year when they made the final,” he said.
“You’ve got St Augustine’s who nearly beat Kirwan the other day in the Aaron Payne Cup, and then there’s Iona College, Marist, Ignatius Park and St Pat’s Mackay who are really strong, as well as the host team which has got a good outfit as well.
“There’s a number of teams who will be pushing their claims and we want to make sure we’re one of them and we’re ready to fight it out for the final.”
Boys competition
Division 1
Pool A: Ignatius Park College, St Brendan’s College, Marist College Ashgrove, Aquinas College.
Pool B: Padua College, Emmaus Rockhampton, St Augustine’s Cairns, St Peter Claver College.
Pool C: Iona College, The Cathedral College, St Mary’s Toowoomba, Rockhampton Grammar School.
Pool D: St Patrick’s College Mackay, Marymount College, Shalom College, St Patrick’s Shorncliffe.
Division 2
Pool A: St Edmund’s College, All Souls St Gabriel’s College, St James College, Xavier Catholic College.
Pool B: Marist College Emerald, Assumption College, Villanova College, St Thomas More College.
Pool C: Holy Spirit College, St Teresa’s College, St Columban’s College, Blackheath and Thornburgh College.
Pool D: Columbia Catholic College, St Laurence’s College, Clairvaux MacKillop College, St Joseph’s College.
Division 3
Pool A: St Michael’s College, St Patrick’s College Gympie, St John’s College Nambour, Mt Maria College.
Pool B: Ryan Catholic College, Chanel College, St John’s School Roma, St Mary’s College Cairns.
Pool C: Good Shepherd, Unity College, Southern Cross, Chisholm Catholic College.
Pool D: Our Lady of the Southern Cross, McAuley Catholic College, Faith Lutheran College, Gilroy Santa Maria College.
Division 4
Pool A: St Augustine’s College AH, Good Counsel, St Anthony’s College, Good Samaritan.
Pool B: Trinity College, Burdekin Catholic High, Emmaus Jimboomba, Siena Catholic College.
Girls competition
Division 1
Pool A: St Patrick’s College Mackay, St Margaret Mary’s College, Emmaus Rockhampton, Shalom College.
Pool B: The Cathedral College, St James College, Rockhampton Grammar, Marymount College.
Division 2
Pool A: St Joseph’s College, Mt Maria College, Xavier Catholic College, Marist College Emerald.
Pool B: Emmaus Jimboomba, Holy Spirit College, St Ursula’s College, St Patrick’s College Townsville.
Most Confraternity Shield wins
Three schools have dominated the schoolboys competition, winning 30 Shields between them.
St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon - 14
Ignatius Park College, Townsville - 8
St Patrick’s College Mackay - 8
Longest winning streak
1988-1992: St Patrick’s College, Mackay
Girls winners
There have been three different winners in the girls competition since its introduction.
2022 - Marymount College, Burleigh Waters
2023 - The Cathedral College, Rockhampton
2024 - St Patrick’s College, Mackay
2024 Players of the Carnival
Boys: Harrison Hill - St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon
Girls: Bronte Parker - Marymount College, Burleigh Waters
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