Sunshine Coast schoolboy rugby union players picked for Queensland
Sunshine Coast schoolboy rugby union coaches have given praise to the 11 players selected for Queensland honours following their State Championships victory.
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The dust has settled from the Queensland Rugby Union Schools State Championships with the Sunshine Coast U18 boys being crowned the winners after a 14-7 win over Met East.
Coaching staff Rob Charlton, Eric Smyth and Brendan Macaulay helped lead the teens to victory with a further 11 players selected in the Queensland one or Queensland two representative teams.
Students from Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Mountain Creek State High School, Matthew Flinders Anglican College, St John’s College and St Columban’s College would now compete at the Australian Schools Championships in Sydney from July 5 to 9.
Women’s under 16 player Tilly Cason and opens player Lila Parr were also selected in the Queensland Invitational sevens teams.
It comes after five Sunshine Coast rugby union talents Luke Aiken, Finn Prass, Joe Wikaira, Tom Manca and Siosifa Kava-Uasike represented the Queensland Reds under 18 Academy.
Under 18s manager Eric Smyth said he knew the team was capable of winning the tournament.
“We knew we had a pretty good squad and part of it was instilling that confidence into the players as well,” Smyth said.
“The boys knew it was going to be a different level of competition than what they’re used to but 100 per cent we had the expectation to perform really well and to win.”
The strong Sunshine Coast outfit suffered just one loss heading into the final and Smyth said he was proud of his team’s overall achievements.
“We had an ordinary day two loss and it takes a lot of mental fortitude to have a day like that and come back better the next day so we played well in the semi final and to come out again on day four with a lot of tired bodies we did really well in the final,” Smyth said.
“It’s always good as a coach when you can go into bat for your players and they play some really good footy.
“I’m really proud of all our players especially for those who put their best foot forward for selection and I think there was another three or four guys that just missed out.”
In no particular order here are the players selected for Q1 and Q2 with coaches comments on why they were standout performers.
Queensland Representatives
Josh Barlow – Hooker
“Josh’s intensity was really good for us and has the ability to get over the ball to turn it over as well,” Smyth said.
“He was our captain that led from the front and really got the boys going and to play for one another.”
Harley Cushan – Prop
“Harley is another workhorse that gets around the park very well,” Smyth said.
“His ability to dominate at scrum time was really good for us.”
George Baker – Prop
“George is really that mobility loose-head and he made a comment on the last day that he didn’t fancy his selection chances but had no idea he was ranked as the number one loose-head,” Smyth said
“It goes to show he’s really humble but is an absolute workhorse that carries well, cleans out well and plays like another backrower at times.
“He’s got exceptional shape in the front row.”
Roko Knott – Second Row
“Roko led our lineout really well and really switched on when it was game time,” he said.
“He was a great leader for our forward pack especially around the lineout with strong attributes of getting up quickly and putting a lot of pressure on the opposition.”
Connor Dick – Flanker
“Connor’s point of difference really was his ball carrying ability,” Smyth said.
“He’s not overly tall or massive but he carries very well and makes the advantage line every time.
“There were a lot of games were he picked up two or three turnovers as well which is really crucial for us.”
Tom Molloy – Number Eight
“Tom was originally picked in our team as a reserve hooker but he moved to eight when another player pulled out,” he said.
“He did very well covering that spot for us and he was just a reliable guy.
“I don’t think we substituted him the whole carnival because he would just carry and tackle well the full match.
“There was nothing ‘showy’ out of Tom but he just did his role and ran lines exactly how you wanted so his versatility is what paid him dividends in the end.”
Dougal McLeod – Flyhalf
“I worked with Dougal a lot and he controlled games really well in the end,” Smyth said.
“Carnival footy is really a lot more about field position and territory so Dougal really developed his kicking game a lot over the course of the carnival.
“He steered the boys around really well and put teams back into the corner to allow us to put them on the back foot.”
Blake Miller – Wing
“Blake was one of our younger guys who was very close originally and then came into our squad as a late inclusion,” Smyth said.
“He’s a very talented footballer with the ball in his hands and he’s got awesome feet which is what earned him a spot at that next level.”
Ryan Fitzgerald – Inside Centre
“Fitzy is another guy that I don’t think we subbed the whole carnival,” he said.
“He was just a brick in defence that allowed nothing through the middle pretty much the whole carnival.
“He got us to and over the advantage line almost every time and his passing game was also pretty good on top of that.”
Finn Lawson – Wing
“Finn is a guy with an extensive rugby league background that we used as a solid left foot kicking option,” Smyth said.
“He was really good for us and as a smaller fella he had great ability to stay on his feet and fight through contact.
“He was crucial for us at times, gave us another exiting option when coming out of our 22 and put away a lot of good metres for us on the counter attack as well.”
Finlay Harris – Fullback
“Fin is super light on his feet but will step around you and was really good on the counter attack,” Smyth said.
“He provided us with another pivotal point of attack so we could play both ways around the ruck.”
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