Who made our AIC First XV rugby union Team of the Season?
Who has made our AIC First XV rugby Team of the Season? St Laurence’s are premiers, but across the competition outstanding talent from all teams shone. Our team, plus reserves, revealed.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Who has made our AIC First XV rugby Team of the Season? St Laurence’s are premiers, but across the competition outstanding talent from all teams shone.
We have come up with an outstanding side in which all schools have a representative.
RELATED LINKS
ST LAURENCE’S COLLEGE CROWN PREMIERS
TODAY’S COLTS RUGBY TEAM OF THE WEEK
FULLBACK:
JEREMY TRAPPETT (Iona)
There was a hot field of No.15s including Pat Tierney, the counter attack from Marist College Ashgrove, quick-stepping Gus Godwin (Villanova) and Alex Smith (Padua College) who was a handful for defences every time he touched the ball, particularly counterattacking. But we settled on Iona College’s Jeremy Trappett, robust in defence, sure with his hands and while possessing a nice turn of pace.
WING
DWAYNE LUDWICK (Marist College Ashgrove )
Dwyane Ludwick was an excitement machine and leading try scorer for Marist College Ashgrove. He was the first winger chosen, a player with more than a smattering of x-factor about him.
OUTSIDE CENTRE
TIM RYAN (St Patrick’s College).
The outstanding outside centre was St Patrick’s College’s Tim Ryan. He is unchallenged for the position, although St Peter’s Dec McCarron was a handful, while Regan Payne (St Edmund’s College) and Callum Stoker (Iona College) were excellent players in the midfield.
RELATED LINKS
INSIDE CENTRE
MIKAEL IBRAHIM (St Laurence’s College)
There were a host of contenders for inside centre and it came down to Ashgrove’s Ky RashleIgh and Ibrahim, with Ibrahim’s tough running and uncompromising defence putting him into the side. The competition was spoiled for midfield players, including Hayden Molkentien (St Edmund’s) who could play No.12 or No.13, Cameron Bukowski (Villanova) who could handle No.10 and No.12 with ease and St Peters Lutheran College leader Kadin Pritchard.
WING
OSCAR HAWES (St Laurence’s)
Oscar Hawes edged out his teammate Lachlan Nguyen in a photo finish - and I mean a photo finish. Separating them was like trying to put twins in different classrooms. Both earned high praise for doing the dirty work, like off the ball efforts in chasing kicks and in defence. Liam Carter (St Pat’s) was also a big improver.
FLY HALF
GUS GODWIN (Villanova College)
He was the Villanova fullback and named outside centre in the Queensland schoolboys No.1 merit team, yet he makes this side as the fly half. The bottom line was he had to be in this side and such was his skill set, he could handle being a running fly half with ease. A First XI and First XV player, Godwin was a jack-in-the-box whose uncanny attacking play kept opposition players on their toes. Eddies’ No.10 Zane Kaatz was also solid.
RELATED LINKS
ROUND 2: PADDIES PULL MATCH OUT OF THE FIRE
ROUND 3: THE DAY THE SAINTS MARCHED IN
HALFBACK
THOMAS PARKER-RYAN (St Laurence’s)
The well organised Thomas Parker-Ryan had all the tricks in the trade at his disposal behind a dominate pack. Tactical kicking, either long or blindside box kicks, were outstanding traits, and his service first class. Hats off also to Jackson Dows (St Patrick’s) and Villa’s Bailey St Ledger as well, among others.
NO.8
HARRY HOLT (St Laurence’s College)
Holt captained Laurie’s to its first outright premiership since 2008, following in the footsteps of elite past No.8 from the college like John Bryant, Mark Connors and Brendan Cannon.
A First XI player as well, he was an outstanding lead on the rugby field. There were other excellent No.8s including Iona’s Aiden Sutherland and Padua’s Andrew de Jager. Thought was also given to transplanting either Ashgrove’s Will Valentine or Jack Condon to No.8 to open up another flanker position, while Lachlan Reid (St Peters) and Ellis Lloyd (St Pat’s) were great contributors. But Laurie’s skipper Holt deserves his place.
FLANKERS
JACK CONDON (Ashgrove) and JOE NADENIC (St Laurence’s College).
Year 11 student Joe Nadenic (Laurie’s) was an outstanding ball runner who will again be a leader of the pack again in 2022.
He was a real discovery. Ashgrove pair Jack Condon and Will Andreas were outstanding as well, with Andreas run metre statistics eye-catching. Villa’s Tom Lawrence was a great opener side competitor but Nadenic, a different style of flanker to Lawrence, was a powerhouse for the premiers. Padua’s Mitch Ross and Jim Roberts (St Peters) should also take a bow.
LOCKS
TOM TWADDELL (Villanova College) and RYAN JACKSON (St Laurence’s College)
Tom Twaddell (Villanova) and Ryan Jackson (Laurie’s) were the pick of the locks, although Will Valentine entered into the conversation and was an automatic selection on the bench. Jackson’s performance in the “grand final’’ against St Patrick’s College must surely have been one of the finest individual efforts across the competition by any player. Logan Costello of St Edmund’s College was also a driving force for Eddies while Max Johnson (Padua) looks an exciting prospect. But Jackson and recently Queensland schoolboys selection Twaddell, who this season was mentored by Ben Mowen, were the best in the business.
PROPS
SAXON WARWICK (Iona College) and HARRY GOULD (Ashgrove)
The props and hooker positions could have gone to any number of players. But Gould formed a fine partnership with his front row contemporaries at Marist, Alec Wilson-Hodge and Nick Harper, and matched it with the best of them and deserved elevation into the starting side.
RELATED LINKS
ST LAURENCE’S ON THE BRINK OF PREMIERSHIP
COLTS CLUB RUGBY TEAM OF LAST ROUND
Warwick’s scrummaging and power game with the ball made it difficult to ignore his claims. Jack Booker (St Patrick’s College) earned a place on the reserves bench with his outstanding defensive scrummaging in the last 15 minutes of the clash against St Laurence’s.
Paddies were down 23-nil, he was without his injured hooker Malakai Davis Raeli, Lauries were on the attack, but Booker and his fellow forwards dug deep to play for pride. Harry Grant-Smith (Villa) was also excellent for his side while St Laurence’s No.1 Matt Tuite cut an inspired figure against St Patrick’s before retiring at halftime with injury.
HOOKER
DAN HEALY (Padua)
In a beaten side, Healy was enormous for Padua and won a place in a photo finish from Jackson Goss (St Laurence’s) and Malakai Davis Raeli (St Patrick’s).
Goss was the glue of the Laurie’s forwards, finding his jumpers in the lineout, sweeping, rucking and mauling. He was understated but effective, right out of the play book of former Queensland and University hooker David Nucifora. Malakai Davis Raeli was more obvious, with his big tackling and power running a reason for Paddy’s success. But on a beaten side, week in, week out in one of the hardest positions on the field, Healy turned up and led by example. Well done to all three contenders here.
RESERVES
Jackson Goss (St Laurence’s), Malakai Davis Raeli (St Patrick’s), Jack Booker (St Patrick’s), Harry Grant-Smith (Villa), Alec Wilson-Hodge (Ashgrove), Will Valentine (Ashgrove), Will Andreas (Ashgrove), Max Johnson (Padua), Hayden Molkentien (St Edmund’s), Kadin Pritchard (St Peters).
RELATED LINKS
ROOKIE OF THE SEASON:
Andrew De Jager (Padua): With a high work rate and a good ball carrier, the No.8 has been one of the competition’s best. St Laurence’s year 11 student Joe Nadenic was considered, but he ended up making the Team of the Season. Hayden Molkentien of St Edmund’s College was also an eye-catching player.
Players to watch revealed on eve of Premier Invitational
Australia’s largest football tournament is just two sleeps away, with 500 teams and over 7500 players and coaches gearing up for the nine-day-long Premier Invitational. Meet the players you must see in action, the X-factors and born leaders:
Emerging Reds Cup: The best moments, players from day 2
Emerging Reds Cup: Who stood out from the crowd in day 2 action? All is revealed here along with the top pictures, moments and players from the first two days of rugby action at Ballymore.