Two Titans Cup games each week from girls and boys school league competition to be streamed in replay
Marsden SHS’s Queensland Rugby Super W sensation Destiny Brill will add star power to the Titans Cup rugby league competition which starts today as part of The Courier-Mail and Gold Coast Bulletin’s growing stable of sporting streaming services.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Marsden SHS’s Queensland Rugby Super W sensation Destiny Brill will add star power to the Titans Cup rugby league competition which starts today as part of The Courier-Mail and Gold Coast Bulletin’s growing stable of sporting streaming services.
The four senior girls and eight senior boys teams will compete each Wednesday, with two matches – one boys and one girls – to be replayed at www.couriermail.com.au each Thursday.
With spectators banned due to COVID concerns, keep up to date by viewing our streamed games of a Thursday.
Mabel Park SHS teacher Ashley Adams said the livestreaming would be great exposure for girls’ rugby league and could lead to increased player participation.
RELATED LINKS
Brill, the year 12 student, starred for the Queensland women’s rugby side in February but has switched codes and will spearhead Marsden’s push for the girls’ title.
Marsden, Mabel Park SHS and Keebra Park SHS will field teams in both the boys and girls competitions, while Beenleigh SHS will field a side in the girls’ competition.
Adams, who for several years has overseen the strong girls’ program at Mabel Park SHS, said Mabel Park would field a “strong and experienced’’ side.
Last season Mabel Park SHS won the Karyn Murphy Cup Queensland championship and he welcomed Mabel Park’s involvement in the Titans Cup.
“It is a good competition against other strong schools and it will be a good opportunity,’’ he said.
RELATED LINKS
Mabel Park’s experience is such that students like Rease Casey, Keilee Joseph, Kailah May and Indee Brown have been involved in the NSW Tarsha Gale Cup competition, while Nakita Soa has experience with Souths Logan.
Mabel Park’s SHS teacher Lee Addison, who was head of the boys program, predicted he would field a disciplined side with a nice mix of youth and older players.
“We will put a strong second grade side onto the field, with expectations around them that they represent the school in the right way,’’ he said.
“We are not struggling for depth. We have a flourishing (league) program built around discipline in the classroom, punctuality and attendance.
Keebra Park SHS girls’ coach Nathan Small was excited to see how many of his players with seven-a-side skills perform in rugby league.
“We will see if we can transfer some of those skills over,’’ Small said.
He said a solid trial against Marsden SHS last week highlighted good aspects of their game and areas that needed work.
“Overall they are just excited to get back to footy.’’ Small said.
Tiana Raftstrand-Smith and Sunny Gerrard were likely to led the way, for Keebra SHS, but they also had a large of number of girls with South Coast representative experience and an array associated with the Titans squad.
Marsden SHS head coach Keeown Rawnsley, who has invaluable NRL knowledge, will have a formidable outfit to work with spearheaded by front-rowers April Ngatupuna and Georgina Tuitaalili who plan to lay a platform for halfback Brill.
Tuitaalili will captain the side.
“She brings so much energy, effort and application and leads by example and off the field in everything she does,’’ Rawnsley said.
Brill normally plays hooker in league, but will have a chance to display her ball playing ability as a No. 7 in the Titans Cup.
Beenleigh SHS girls “are a special group that have come through the schools rugby league Academy together since their junior years,’’ according to principal Matt O’Hanlon.
“The girls have built strong friendships they share off the field and the connection they have with the footy on it,’’ he said.
In 2018 and 2019 they made the year 10 Murphy Cup final and “were hungry to build on this success over the next two seasons’’.
Experienced coach Hayden Murdoch said the Beenleigh girls had the ability to play “eyes up footy’’ and can be exciting to watch.
Murdoch said captain and halfback Emma Barnes has a big future along with barnstorming front rower Angel Kirikava.
“These schools have had tough battles over the past few seasons and although this will be a short season it will be very competitive,’’ O’Hanlon said in reference to the women’s competition.
The Open Boys South division will begin with a bang as old rivals Marymount College and St Michael’s go head-to-head.
The cancellation of the annual Confratenrity Carnival means the fixture will be the Gold Coast schools’ first games of the year.
Marymount College hope the Titans Schools competition will help unearth the next NRL star from their ranks after recent graduate Xavier Coates, of the Brisbane Broncos.
“They’re always talking about Xavier and copying his running style,” program coordinator Jason Hamilton said of his students.
“St Michael’s are our old rivals so the harder our game is the better the Catholic schools on the Coast are.”
St Michael’s have prepared the fittest team in their school’s recent history and they’ll be up for the challenge.
Titans Open Schoolgirls Challenge
Girls round 1
Beenleigh SHS v Mabel Park SHS
Keebra Park SHS v Marsden SHS
Titans Cup boys round 1
Forest Lake SHS v Marsden SHS
Beenleigh SHS v Mabel Park SHS
Chisholm College v St Francis College
St Michaels v Marymount
Keebra Park SHS v Aquinas