Meeting the Kingmakers of the AIC First XV rugby grand final
Meet the 10 kingmakers expected to shine in Saturday’s AIC First XV rugby grand final involving St Laurence’s College and Padua College along with the Round 6 Team of the Week.
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Queensland rugby’s premier schoolboy competition will reach a moment of truth on Saturday when the AIC First XV’s unbeaten teams meet in a round seven grand final.
Padua College will host benchmark side St Laurence’s College who are seeking their third consecutive outright premiership.
Padua played a hungry St Peters team on June 3, with Padua only just winning 29-26, while Ashgrove had St Laurence’s down 16-13 before a second half heave saw them come away 20-16 winners.
The AIC does not have a grand final fixture. Ironically, Padua and St Laurence’s are meeting in round 7 to decide the premiership.
Below we present the Kingmakers of the finals, along with the round six Team of the Week.
KINGMAKERS
Mitch Rogers (Padua)
Rogers was among the Redcliffe Dolphin’s best in their successful Meninga Cup campaign, and was snubbed a spot in the Met North team.
He was in red hot form coming into the season and has steered the team thus far. His crash ball running and spidey-sense will be needed if Padua want to dethrone the competition’s best team team of the 2020s.
Tom Chapman (Padua)
Fast and elusive, Chapman has the ability to break open Saturday’s game.
Indeed his sharp footwork could undo the formidable St Laurence’s defence.
Will Tozer and Brock Powell (Padua)
There will be a gripping No.8 battle unfolding when Tozer and Ben Davis go against each other.
Meanwhile, Powell will be leading Padua with captaincy which has proven a success in his school’s best season since 2016.
Finn Mackay (Laurie’s)
In his first season back at St Laurence’s after a move to Melbourne, the rangy flyhalf has been excellent.
He has been the competition’s primary playmaker, and he has progressed nicely after playing for the Melbourne Rebels under 16s team in the National Championships last season.
Jack Tuite (Laurie’s)
A powerful ball runner, Tuite will be invaluable for his team as they look to bust up the defence.
A returning First XV player, Tuite’s overpowering size and strength in the No.12 jersey has led the charge for Laurie’s.
Brody McClaren (Laurie’s)
The outside centre has been strong all year but it is his goal kicking which may come to the fore on Saturday.
He can slot them from anywhere and that will be key for Laurie’s whose game plan includes taking the points.
Ben Davis (Laurie’s)
The towering Davis has springs under him and lineout time will be where he gives his team the edge.
The St Laurence’s forward pack presents a big challenge for the Padua forwards and Davis along with Lock and Murphy (see below), will be throwing the traffic.
Rylan Lock and Bailey Murphy (Laurie’s)
The premiers were in good hands courtesy of their front rowers Lock and Murphy.
Both were powerful, tireless, old fashioned front rowers with their pick-and-drive domination the reason they are undefeated.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
15 Levi Hawea (Iona)
Hawea epitomises the direction Iona has been trending in after a slow start to the season.
There were glimpses of brilliance for this youngster in round one and two and he is starting to find his feet in a backline full of ever improving teammates who have the chance to finish the season 4-3 against St Patrick’s on Saturday.
14 Will Lane (Iona)
A lock in rugby league, Lane has transitioned perfectly into the centres for the Paul Davey coached Iona team this year.
After missing the opening round, Lane has enjoyed getting down to business on both sides of the ball.
Saturday was no different.
13 Nick Hinchey (Padua)
St Peters had all cylinders firing and it was Hinchey who stood tall in the defensive line.
Padua’s best defender on the day.
12 Tobias Graham (Ashgrove)
Wallace Charlie (St Peters), Mackay (Laurie’s), Sam Condon (St Patrick’s) Damon Humphrys (Padua) were among the competition’s best flyhalfs in round six. Graham - a big time player in the biggest game of the round.
A fly half who is constantly improving, Graham executed the game plan, passed down by coach and father Richard, to perfection. He won the kicking battle which was an area of focus for Ashgrove and he won the ball-running battle when he took off in a 45 metre dash to the try line.
11 Sam Bevan (St Laurence’s)
He makes our Team of the Week on the back of a game-saving play against Ashgrove. Up until the 67th minute Bevan had been quiet, seeing little to no ball on the wing. Sometimes that would lead to players retreating into their shell but Bevan did the opposite when making a split-second decision to come off his wing and make a tackle on Tom Howard.
Ashgrove had numbers and like Hunter Paisami of the Queensland Reds, Bevan got his man in his scope, led with his shoulder and dislodged the ball.
It was a brave play that paid off.
Footnote: There was nothing Howard could have done.
10 Sam Condon (St Patrick’s)
The St Patrick’s school captain sure knows how to lead. Playing a controlled game, Condon spearheaded his team’s 19-point comeback from the vital fly half position.
9 Tafito Falaniko Ah-Ki (St Edmund’s)
The best player on the field yet again, Ah-Ki was a class above.
He moves fast, knows how and when to attack and if it wasn’t for an exciting Year 10 halfback coming through the ranks, St Edmund’s would be scrambling to fill the void.
8 Will Tozer (Padua)
The No.8 position was hotly contested this week with Vice Latu (St Peters), Jackson Moloney (Villa) and Jasper Barry (Ashgrove) in hot pursuit.
It was sporting all-rounder Tozer who took it with a man of the match performance which included a late try to steal the win from St Peters.
7 Liam Inngs (St Patrick’s)
What Iings managed to do on Saturday is not seen often. A magician at the breakdown, Iings accrued nine steals or thereabouts as he pilfered St Edmund’s out of the game.
6 Jasper Barry (Ashgrove)
Barry has come into his own to finish the season, the Year 11 bustling through tackles again on Saturday.
He adds much needed size to the Ash forward pack.
5 Vice Latu (St Peters)
A No.8, Latu will go into this Saturday’s game with his heart on his sleeve. It will be his last home game in St Peters colours and he should hold his head high knowing he has done a tremendous job leading his side in 2023.
Latu played lock last year but over the summer he put on a ton of muscle and this year has been a powerhouse at the back of the scrum.
4 Adam Kelly (Villa)
We named him at lock but he is arguably the best flanker in the competition. He scored a ridiculous try against Villa on Saturday, a rampaging 60 metre solo effort of the kickoff.
3 Bailey Murphy (St Laurence’s)
Laurie’s could’ve been heading into round seven with a blemish on their record had this two-try hero not come to the rescue.
Murphy, a nonsense prop who does his best work close to the tryline, came alive in the second half to turn a 13 point deficit (16-3) into a 4 point victory (20-16).
2 Connor Chalmers (St Peters)
The competition had never been so close and St Peters was the proof. St Peters almost had Laurie’s in round two when falling agonisingly short 16-15 and on Saturday it was the same story with a 26-29 loss against Padua.
Chalmers led the way in that game with his work rate.
1 Tom Davies (St Patrick’s)
Davies had a debut of dreams, scrummaging St Patrick’s to a 19-10 victory after they found themselves down 10-0 after just three minutes.
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