St Brendan’s, Emmaus to battle for honours in Confraternity Shield grand final
Yeppoon’s St Brendan’s College and Rockhampton’s Emmaus College are set to battle it out in the boys Confraternity Shield grand final, while The Cathedral College celebrates victory in the girls division. Full details here.
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It will be a Central Queensland showdown in the battle for the prestigious Confraternity Shield being played in Brisbane.
Rockhampton’s Emmaus College will take on Yeppoon’s St Brendan’s College in the boys division grand final at 12.30pm Friday.
Emmaus booked their place with a 10-4 win over St Patrick’s College, Mackay, in Thursday’s semi-final, while St Brendan’s proved too strong for Marymount College, running out 22-4 winners.
The 2023 Confraternity Carnival, which featured 52 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams from Catholic and Independent Schools across the state, has reinforced the strength of CQ’s footy stocks.
The Cathedral College from Rockhampton won the girls Confraternity Shield with a hard-fought 14-10 win over St Patrick’s College, Mackay, on Thursday.
The teams were locked at 10-all before player of the carnival Caitlin Tanner scooted down the short side and passed to Mackayla Oakley to cross for the match winner with seven minutes left on the clock.
Four members of TCC’s victorious outfit - Tanner, Zoe Robson, Harmonie Fauid and Shayla Powell - were named in the carnival’s honorary team.
Ruby Lucas, Ciara Thomson, Shaylee Hazledine, Chelsea McLeod and Gracie Watt from St Patrick’s were also included, as were Emmaus College players Dominique Saunders and Tori Dakin.
The boys’ final promises to be just as exciting, with Emmaus scoring a late try to beat St Brendan’s in their most recent meeting in a Dolphins Cup match.
Thursday’s win was significant for St Brendan’s who last year fell to eventual champions Ignatius Park College in one of the competition’s most memorable semi-finals.
Both finalists have proud rugby league histories and provide three members of the Maroons’ State of Origin team: Harry Grant and Ben Hunt (St Brendan’s); and Cameron Munster (Emmaus).
St Brendan’s coach Scott Minto said there was some pressure on his team after last year’s defeat so it was great to get through to the decider.
“Our players really dug deep for each other and we had to scrap at times against a really good team. We had to be consistent and we managed that,” he said.
“It’s a surreal feeling being in a position to win the shield.
“Our staff have them peaking at the right time and I think it’s the best I’ve seen the boys look today (Thursday).
“Marymount were tough and we had to withstand a fair bit of pressure during the game.”
Minto is expecting a tough test against Emmaus who, he said, were “riding a wave of emotion”.
“They’re playing an open style of football which is spearheaded by their touch football spine,” he said.
“Liam Barnes holds the key to their attack. He’s a very good dummy half and gives them good service in the middle.
“We have built to this occasion though and we are confident in the way we are playing.
“Our middles are stepping it up each game and they’re all keen to get into the action (in the final).”
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