Paul Dever to convene 2025 Confraternity Carnival in Rockhampton

Paul Dever’s decades-long association with the premier schools rugby league carnival started as a player. Thirty years on, he will convene the largest iteration of the event in Rockhampton.

Paul Dever will oversee the largest ever Confraternity Carnival, to be played in Rockhampton.

Few people would be better qualified than Paul Dever to run the largest-ever Confraternity Carnival.

He has held almost every possible position at the premier schools rugby league carnival and as convenor of the bumper 2025 edition, will mark 30 years involvement with Confro as it is affectionately known.

The highly regarded alumni of host school The Cathedral College has, for more than 12 months, been busily preparing for a record 72 boys and girls teams from Catholic and independent secondary schools across Queensland to descend on Rockhampton.

The 2025 Confraternity Carnival convenor Paul Dever and assistant convenor Kirby Richardson from The Cathedral College.

More than 200 games of footy will be played from Monday, June 30, to Friday, July 4, at three venues - Kettle Park, Saleyards Park and TCC.

Dever clocks up his amazing personal milestone in the 45th iteration of Confro, which started in 1980 with six teams.

He has relished the camaraderie and marvelled at the talent on show at the carnival, which has provided a stepping stone to the NRL for countless players, among them newly appointed Maroons’ Origin skipper Cameron Munster (Emmaus College).

Queensland captain Cameron Munster. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Rockhampton product becomes the second carnival graduate to lead Queensland, the other being the man he replaced - Daly Cherry-Evans (St Patrick’s College Mackay).

Dever’s association started in 1993 as a player in the first TCC team to contest Confro.

In the ensuing years, he’s experienced it from almost every angle - from water runner to team manager, coach to convenor.

“I’m proud to have experienced so many different aspects of Confraternity, and I have fond memories of every one of them,” he said.

“I’ve done just about everything, even been a touch judge.

“I haven’t refereed a game yet so maybe next time.”

Paul Dever (middle row, fourth from left) in The Cathedral College team that competed at the Confraternity Carnival for the first time in 1993.

Dever’s initiation was as a brawny back rower in TCC’s maiden appearance in Cairns in 1993.

The team played in the Bob Lindner Trophy, one of two divisions.

“We won a few games and lost a few but I do remember we received the referees award for fair play, which we were pretty proud of at the time,” he said.

The following year, he was part of the organising committee when the carnival was first hosted by TCC before going on to wear his various other hats.

The Cathedral College team, coached by Paul Dever, which won the Confraternity Cup in Toowoomba in 2005. Pictured are (back row, from left) Duncan Crimmins, James Lawliss, Sam Williams, Ryan Houlihan, captain Ben Johnson, Brenton Whittaker, Joe Olsen, Brendan Corbin; (middle row) coach Paul Dever, trainer Jacob Williams, Nathan Burke, Josh McConachy, Luke Madden, Tony Dunne, Damien Moffat, Daniel Williams, manager Tim Murphy; (front row) Ben Featherstone, Paul O'Shea, Harrison McCoy, Nick Rasmussen, Chris Thompson, Ryan Earley, Jon Sharvin.

One of his greatest achievements came in Toowoomba in 2005 when he coached TCC to victory in one of the carnival’s lower divisions, the Confraternity Cup.

TCC’s open boys and girls teams will compete in the top divisions, with Dever expecting both to “go deep” in their respective competitions.

TCC has competed since 1993 but it was the girls who claimed the first Confraternity title for the school in 2023 with a spirited grand final win over St Patrick’s College Mackay.

St Pat’s took the girls honours last year, while Townsville powerhouse Ignatius Park claimed victory in the boys.

The boys’ carnival this year will be contested in three divisions of 16 teams (Divisions 1, 2 and 3) and one division of eight teams (Division 4).

The Cathedral College girls celebrate their win in 2023. Picture, John Gass

The girls’ carnival will have 16 teams in two divisions.

This is the fifth time Confro has been held in Rockhampton, and the fourth time with TCC as the host school.

Emmaus College hosted in 1999.

Dever was assistant convenor in 2008 before taking the top job in 2016, that experience providing plenty of insight for his return to the top job this year.

His second in command is Kirby Richardson, who graduated from TCC in 2021 and has been a member of the school’s communications and media team since 2022.

Preparing for the 2025 Confraternity Carnival in Rockhampton are (from left) convenor Paul Dever, The Cathedral College rugby league players Archie Lloyd, Mickey Busby, Madeline Johnson and Josie Wogand, TCC principal Rob Alexander and the carnival's assistant convenor, Kirby Richardson.

The carnival is expected to attract more than 5000 visitors and inject $10 million into the local economy.

Dever said it was a huge boon for Rockhampton and the broader Central Queensland region.

He was excited to be at the helm of the history-making edition of the carnival.

“There’s a lot of logistics involved in catering for 72 teams. It just means more of everything, really,” Dever said.

“A total of 208 games will be played across seven fields over the four days of competition.

“It’s going to be a big week and hopefully, we can put on a good show again.”