GPS First XV premiership a race in three
The GPS First XV rugby premiership is a race in three as Nudgee College, Churchie and The Southport School jockey for the title. Round 7 report here.
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The GPS First XV rugby premiership is a race in three as Nudgee College, Churchie and The Southport School jockey for the title.
Churchie, chasing its first premiership since 2015, last year’s winners Nudgee and 2019 winners TSS all had just one loss this season.
The premiership is not decided on for and against so if Churchie and TSS win their remaining two games, they will catch Nudgee who have a bye last round. This is as long as Ipswich Grammar School don’t upset Nudgee in Ipswich next week.
Both TSS and Churchie have already had a bye.
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But TSS coach Mike Wallace made it very clear he is not thuinking premierships.
He said he had the utmost respect for their next opponents, Terrace, and said coach Michael Broad he been around GPS coaching for a “long, long, long time’’ and if his players dropped their guard, Terrace will win.
Terrace went down in a spirited performance to Nudgee this afternoon. See report in this story.
At Churchie today, the home side scored a 41-17 win after overcoming stout resistance from BBC across the match, but particularly in the first half.
But when Churchie turned for home after halftime with the wind at their backs, they produced some dazzling backline tries after the forwards had earned them the right to go wide.
Centre Dre Pakeho was hard to handle in the midfield with his runs and distribution, while No.8 Charles Brosnan is getting better and better the more the season rolls on.
All seven tries came across the backs, with winger Mac Kelley scoring three tries - the second hat trick by a Churchie played this season after Frankie Goldsbrough’s round 1 effort.
“It (ball movement) is something we have been working on,’’ said coach Ryan Schultz.
“We felt we missed some opportunities at the start of the season so we have done a lot of work to make sure our star-studded backline gets the amount of ball they need,’’ he said.
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The pro-Churchie crowd enjoyed the second half, but they would have been pensive in the first half when BBC challenged their rivals.
For the second time in the match BBC struck at the heart of the Churchie forwards with a rolling maul effort which cut Churchie’s lead to 17-10.
The try, just after halftime, was a statement that while BBC was down, they were not out.
But Churchie’s response was quick and precise, a textbook backline movement from sideline to sideline leading to the impressive winger Mac Kelley sliding over for his team’s fourth try.
At 22-10 up, Churchie had a leg up again in its match to victory, but BBC’s body language and effort after that setback gave hope there was still a flick in the tail.
And so it was the case when BBC flanker Matt Robertson broke away down the middle, but Churchie No.8 Charlie Brosnan made a telling covering tackle.
Archie Wilson then changed momentum for Wilson with a breakaway from deep in his territory and although his support Frankie Goldsbrough was reeled in by Samson Tuqiri, the damage had been done.
After a turnover of possession the Churchie forwards in seized control, presenting Wilson with a gift wrapped try near the posts.
The remarkable Kelley, who has a tendency to score tries in either corner, then bobbed up again to cross after another thrilling Churchie attack from the back field.
Kelley has Brosnan to take for his last try, with the big No.8’s catch and pass off his ankles a highlight of the game.
So from 17-10 to 36-10 the game had got away quickly from BBC although spirit still flowed and College did score late.
For BBC, flanker Finlay Dreydon made his debut, while BBC’s rolling mauls and a try saving tackle from Tuqiri were highlights.
The battle of the brothers in Back to Tennyson round did not disappoint, with St Joseph’s Nudgee College checking off another rival on their premiership mission.
Nudgee escaped a hostile International Oval 38-17, with fullback Tory Bath scoring a double to silence sledging Terrace Old Boys.
By the looks of the impossible parking situation, chirpy Old Boys, everlasting war cries and thousands of supporters, you’d think it was a grand final.
Although it wasn’t, it sure felt that way for the Gregory Terrace and Nudgee College First XV outfits, with every game a must win for premiership hunting Nudgee.
Tory Bath, who signed with the Dolphins NRL club during the week, had a dazzling performance at the back. He said: “It’s always tough to verse these boys. They just give it to you, but it’s good to get over them today. That loss against Churchie really hurt us. But we are here now, tying first. It’s not what we wanted but it could still be a premiership.”
When asked about his opportunity with the Dolphins, Bath said It was surreal. “I didn’t think I’d go into an NRL program this young. Nov 1st is my first preseason day training with the team for two months. Then I’ll go to Q cup.”
Terrace, although it wasn’t the result they were after, had Nudgee on the back foot for a good chunk of the game. Captain Xavier Stiles said: “We played our hearts out. It’s all I asked of the boys this week. Coming in with 3 losses, I said to the boys we got to give it our all and I couldn’t be more proud for these boys. We will keep our heads up. We still have two more games left.”
“We have had some narrow losses, but you just got to keep going. That performance today and throughout the season, we have given it our all so I am very proud,” Stiles said.
Bath set up the first try to lock Jack Harley, who with a spin move, manoeuvred his way over the line to make it 5-0.
Terrace then answered through year 11 flanker Charlie Cooke.
Like a thief in the night, halfback Archie Xavier was in under the posts for Terrace’s first lead of the game.
The Trusty No.9 spotted the hole and pounced from the ruck, causing an eruption of red and black blazers who packed out the Old Boys Grandstand.
A beautiful blind side switch play by halfback Inigo Lawrence and prop Macarius Pereira put in the Redcliffe Dolphins newest addition.
Bath gave us a glimpse of the lighting fast speed soon to light up the Dolphins camp. Bath blitzed down the left edge to draw Nudgee within two at 12-10.
Nudgee hooker and try scoring machine Will Rogers regained the lead for his side with an unstoppable rolling maul effort. Consider it a done deal if Rogers has ball in hand at the back there.
Flanker Noah Clifford equalised it at 17-17, right in front of his Terrace Old Boys. After countless barrages close in, Clifford cannoned his way through a hole, with a blind side pop pass from Xavier the key to success.
But, Terrace weren’t able to grab a lead before mighty powerful No.8 Liam Le Blanc burrowed his way through contact to give Nudgee the upper hand once more.
Rogers then shot the life out of the Terrace faithful, getting his second of the day and giving Nudgee a 14 point buffer with 10 minutes to play.
With a 67th minute chip and chase effort from within his team’s half, Bath had the last say, settling the scores at 38-17
Nudgee coach Sean Graham said: “We knew it was going to be tough. Both our teams have similar strengths and skillsets. We both have a good maul and defend it well. It meant we had to find other ways to score points.”
“We were patient in attack and clinical when we had the ball in their 22, which we needed to be. Terrace are a good side and have been building well so we are very pleased with the result.”
Graham said fly half Archie Condon was outstanding, praising his defense, kick chases and “lots of stuff off the ball that people might not see.”
Captain Patrick Dallimore once again gave it his all for Nudgee.
Terrace assistant coach John Fitzgerald said: “you can’t take the pressure off a good side like Nudgee. We were in the fight, we just have to take those moments. They took theirs better than ours and they got over the line.”
“I haven’t seen a crowd like this in a while, it was a great atmosphere. It was great for the crowd and it was great to see everyone invested. I had a sense we would lift and I am proud we gave it to them.”
Tom Robinson, Angus Munn, Xavier Stiles, Archie Xavier and Nick Dunstan were Fitzgerald’s stars of the day.
At Southport TSS had a 50-12 win against Brisbane State High School, with fly half Spencer Alcock producing a “masterclass’’ according to his coach Mike Wallace.
“Considering the challenging week we had (with illness) we had good team cohesion, we backed the game plan and stuck to it which as a goal we set ourselves,’’ Wallace said.
And firing was No.10 Alcock “in a five-eight masterclass’’ as he calmly, precisely took TSS around the field.
Captain Jye Gray was huge again, while Nick Hilton was at his rugged best across the first half until he needed a rest due to illness.
At a windswept Northgate, the kings of tight matches, Toowoomba Grammar School, won 8-7 in a hard fought, scrappy type of game with both teams threatening to break out, but never doing so.
Physically TGS won the contact zone over Brisbane Grammar School, but it was a tight game which could have gone either way.
TGS opened the scoring when Chace Oates created a chance for Richard Dean, before BGS went up 7-5 at halftime.
As it turned out the winning score was a penalty goal by Oates in the second half.
TGS hooker Jeremiah Sialau did a great job throwing in the windy conditions and connecting with his jumpers, and also contributed with some robust runs,, while Oates played well.
Ryan Shaw was arguably the best for BGS.
“It was a pretty good arm wrestle between two teams,’’ said TGS director of sport Steve Fryer.
ROUND 8
IGS v NC
ACGS v BGS
TSS v GT
BSHS v TGS
BBC bye
ROUND 9
BBC v BGS
IGS v TSS
BSHS v ACGS
TGS v GT
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