GPS Football: The round 1 First XI winners and losers after the season openers
GPS First XI football had its opening round today under brilliant blue winter skies. Read here for all the results.
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Under brilliant winter blue skies, the navy and white jersey of St Joseph’s Nudgee College positively gleamed as the college’s First XI opened the football season with a rousing 4-1 win over Anglican Church Grammar School.
Both schools celebrated the return to sport following the relaxation in COVID-19 restrictions by delivering a fast, up-temp match that ebbed and flowed throughout.
Ultimately the better of the two sides, Nudgee College, finished victors although Churchie seemed to gain strength as the match progressed to remain ultra-competitive to the death.
“It was just great to see the boys back playing,’’ said Churchie Director of Sport Sean Tasker.
“We have been in a stalled position because of COVID and having the young fellas back playing football and sport for term 3, it is terrific to see,’’ Tasker said.
In other matches, Brisbane Grammar School opened its season with a 4-1 win over Toowoomba Grammar School in Toowoomba.
TGS director of sport Steve Fryer said, across the campus during the day, there would have been 1000 students playing sport and “seeing all those happy faces was wonderful’’.
At Brisbane Boys College, the visitors Brisbane State High School prevailed 3-1, pressing forward to score three times.
Two of those goals for BSHS were courtesy of Jack Waldock, one of a number of young players making their mark in First XI Football at BSHS.
At Ipswich, the home side IGS played out a thrilling 2-all draw with St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace, with Chris Morseray shining for Terrace.
Terrace played 60 minutes with 10 men after having a player red-carded, but still managed to lead 2-1.
However, Ipswich Grammar grabbed a late equaliser to share the spoils.
Terrace Director of Football Mitch Edwards described the game a “pretty physical, fast-paced’’ match.
He said IGS were a well organised, well coached side to come away from the match with a draw was a good result.
IGS Director of Football Nigel Greive said while both teams were a little rusty given the long lay off it was willing and hard fought contest which resulted in a 2-2 draw.
Greive said IGS coach Mr Andrew Catton indicated while he would have loved to have won the match in the dying minutes it was a fitting result.
Standouts for IGS where year 10 students Benji Binney at right back and Cher Deng at centre back.
RELATED LINKS:
GPS FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: CHURCHIE
GPS FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: NUDGEE COLLEGE
GPS FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: IPSWICH GRAMMAR SCHOOL
GPS FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: BBC and BSHS
Terrace had the better of territory and possession in the first half but IGS managed to score first off a well conceived goal from a corner by IGS Captain Cooper Nichols
Terrace then received a penalty in the box soon after which resulted in a goal, taking the score to one-all at halftime.
IGS, defensively solid and showed glimpses of attacking flare throughout, then finished very strongly to equalise with five minutes to go through a wonderful header by Ethan Frazer
At Nudgee, on a beautiful Ross Oval pitch. the home side turned a nil-all halftime scoreline into a 4-1 advantage after a three goal blitz just after halftime.
Nudgee draw first blood through a penalty to Henry Cliff after Maurice Jackson had drawn an indirection out of the Churchie defenders.
Cliff trotted over to the spot and with no fanfare placed the ball and guided it to the top left hand corner of the net.
Churchie goalie Luka Price reacted to his right and got his fingers to the ball, but Cliff had enough power on the kick for it to blast through Luka’s finger tips.
Two quick goals then followed for Nudgee.
Firstly Bailey Dellapina skidded a sensational header into the back of the net and then Sam Klein accepted a cross kick to score Nudgee’s third goal.
But almost straight after Dellapina’s goal, Churchie’s substitute Cyrus Dehmie got one back for his side, producing a corker of a left footer that reduced the margin to 3-1.
Full of adrenaline, Dehmie rushed into the back of the net to retrieve the ball and sprint it back to the middle of the field knowing every minute countered for Churchie.
Churchie, well served by Jack Finch and Jaid Isai throughout, continued to try hard.
But it was appropriate that two of the game’s class performers, Nudgee pair Kes Isaac and Jackson, combined yet again down the left hand side of the field to put the contest beyond doubt.
Jackson drove the ball forward with precision to his mate Isaac who deflected the ball home for Nudgee’s fourth goal.
“It was a really good game between two strong teams,’’ said Nudgee College Director of Football Jamie Pybus.
“I thought we controlled the game well and it was a really good performance all around. We are really pleased to start the season with a good performance and a win.