AIC First XV rugby Team of the Week revealed
Who made our round 2 AIC First XV rugby Team of the Week? The rise of giant-killers St Peters and St Edmund’s have been been reflected in our selections.
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The rise of St Peters Lutheran College and St Edmund’s College has been reflected in our AIC Team of the Week?
Following a dramatic round 2, Eddies remained unbeaten after two rounds, while St Peters probably should be unbeaten after leading 21-5 in round 1 against Padua.
Both teams will play each other at St Peters this Saturday, but for now we are looking to last Saturday and take great delight in seeing both famous schools with lavish representation in our sides.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Fullback: Kadin Pritchard (St Peters)
In his third year in the First XV, St Peters captain Kadin Pritchard had an outstanding performance at jersey No.15, to steer his team to their first win of 2022. Kadin scored 21 of his team’s 26 points on Saturday afternoon in their thrilling 26-19 win over Villanova. Pritchard set up their first try, scored their second, and slotted two tricky conversions from the sideline. To give Peters the edge, he kicked four penalty goals, two of which from over 40m out. Aside from what his coach Russell Todd described as “dead eye kicking,” Pritchard was just as strong on defence.
Wing: Kyan Muir (Iona College)
Enthusiastic from start to finish both on and off the ball, the Iona College winger raced in two tries on debut as Iona College got on the board after a narrow round 1 loss.
RELATED LINKS
COLTS 1 ROUND 3 TEAM OF THE WEEK
COLTS 1, ROUND 2 TEAM OF THE WEEK
Outside centre: Nick Hastie (St Patrick’s College)
Hastie adapted effortlessly to the challenge of moving from wing to the No.13 jersey, defending strongly and running challenging lines in attack.
Successfully moved from fullback to centre
Inside centre: Centre: Jirra Twist (St Peters)
Twist looked very dangerous in the centres, always running onto the ball with a head full of steam. He opened the scoring on Saturday, charging through the line with a mix of speed and strength to dash away. With ball in hand, Twist proved very hard to contain.
Wing: Joe Wilson (Villanova College)
Wilson backed up his sensational performance in round one, with another epic effort. Although his team fell short, Wilson returned the ball excellently all afternoon. He truly did everything he could and more to give Villanova their best chance at winning. He made several offloads to keep the ball alive, beat the first defender almost every time, and was mistake-free once again. We named him on the wing to get the best 15 players into our Team of the Week.
Flyhalf: Darcy Rowan (St Laurence’s College)
When the rain came Rowan and his little mate, First XI cricketer and First XV halfback Darcy Rowan became the main men in their team’s clash against Padua. Both boys responded to the greasy conditions to ensure St Laurence’s did not slip up as the ball and ground became increasingly slippery.
Halfback: Tafito Falaniko Ah-Ki (St Edmund’s College)
The livewire No.9 was outstanding behind his forwards in Eddies’ drought breaking victory over Marist College Ashgrove. How he must treasurer having ball winning locks Larry Siala and Logan Costello in both the set pieces and in general play where they are generating momentum.
No.8: Joe Nadenic (St Laurence’s College)
Nadenic was a new boy on the block in 2021 and now is a leader of the pack. He dramatically had a dislocated finger put back into place by his father, only to rejoin his teammates seconds later and hoist a pass which helped create a try. He was skilled on the fringe or a power runner around the ruck.
Flanker: Barney Radel (St Peters)
Flanker: Larry Siala (St Edmund’s College)
Siala is inspiring a rejuvenated Eddies this season with his punishing go forward and leg drive which is surely giving his teammates confidence. He is playing lock, but to get our best XV named here, we put him at flanker, but really he has the athletic ability to play No.8, blind flanker or lock.
Flanker: Barney Radel (St Peters)
In his second year playing First XV, Radel’s hard work and physicality shone through against Villanova, anchoring his team on both defence and offence. With his strong carries and hard-hitting tackles, the No.8 was the unsung hero in the Saints success on Saturday. St Peters coach Russell Todd said, “He had a really good game. He led the forward pack really well and gave us some good go forward.”
Lock: Jake Kurbatoff (St Laurence’s)
Kurbatoff was as his best during an outstanding first half performance. Through his actions he said “follow me boys’’, ensuring his side shook off any hangover from their round 1 triumph and pushed past Padua’s early challenge. His leg drive in contact is eye-catching.
RELATED LINKS
AIC ROUND 1 TEAM OF THE WEEK HERE
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR SEASON 2022
Lock: Logan Costello (St Edmund’s College)
For the second successive week Costello has made our Team of the Week - this time for his role in Eddies’ ambush of Marist College Ashgrove. He is winning possession, carrying the ball and making his tackles.
Prop: Hugh Smith (St Laurence’s College)
Laurie’s are the best pick and drive, mauling team in the competition and Smith is playing his part in this wall of Black and Gold which is terrorising opposition forward packs in its attacking zone.
Hooker: Alex Manteit (Iona College)
Manteit came to play with a robust, wholehearted performance in the tight as Iona pushed its season off the mark with victory over St Patrick’s College.
Prop: Moe Koroi: (St Peters)
St Peters Prop Moe Koroi was very aggressive on defence and perfect with his lineout-throws. Koroi was a force in the scrum, and had great line speed. He was always rushing up to apply pressure and put tackles on.
Reserves: Jackson Moloney (Villanova) Ben Addley (Villanova), Jack Leo (Iona), Andrew de Jage (Padua), Callum Reidy (St Laurence’s), Mitch Ross (Padua) No.10 Sam Condon (St Patrick’s), Oskar Weinert (Padua College).
FOOTNOTE: Our coverage continues on late Saturday when we post to www.couriermail.com.au
ROUND 3
St Peters v St Edmund’s College
Marist Ashgrove v Villanova College
St Laurence’s College v Iona College
Padua College v St Patrick’s College
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