REPLAYS: Henschke PS, Griffith East take out Paul Kelly Cup honours with thrilling victories

Henschke Public School came into the Paul Kelly Cup as hot favourites and didn’t disappoint with a blistering day out. Check out the REPLAYS from both the boys and girls divisions.

Henschke Public School has rounded out a flawless Paul Kelly Cup campaign by bringing the trophy back to Wagga Wagga.

Coming into the final with three big wins during the pool stage, including one over grand final rivals Merimubla Public School, Henschke proved too strong once again in the decider to claim a 6.5 (41) to 1.2 (8) victory.

They started on a hot note to kick the opening goal inside a minute, before Merimbula responded in quick fashion.

Henschke PS was then able to close out the first half with a flurry, kicking two more goals to lead 21-7 at the break.

Again they needed less than 60 seconds to hit the scoreboard in the second half. Another goal pushed the lead out beyond catching, but Merimbula continued to fight until the final sired.

Check out all the replays from the boys and girls divisions below.

BOYS REPLAYS

FIELD 1

Merimubla PS vs Henschke PS (Grand Final)

Albury PS v Merimbula PS (Semi Final)

Mackillop Catholic College v Hammondville Public School

St Peter’s Primary School v Albury Public School

Hammondville Public School vs St Peter’s Primary School

Mackillop Catholic College v Albury Public School

Hammondville Public School v St Peter's Primary School

Albury Public School v Hammondville Public School

St Peter's Primary School v Mackillop Catholic College

FIELD 2

Henschke PS v Hammondville PS (Semi Final)

Merimbula Public School v Jerrabomberra Public School

Mimosa Public School v Henschke Primary School

Merimbula Public School v Henschke Primary School

Jerrabomberra Public School v Mimosa Public School

Henschke Primary School v Jerrabomberra Public School

Mimosa Public School v Merimbula Public School

GIRLS REPLAYS

FIELD 1

Griffith East Primary School vs Randwick Public School (Grand Final)

St Catherine’s College vs Griffith East Primary School (Semi final)

St Catherine’s Catholic College v Nowra Anglican

St Gregory’s College v Randwick Public School

Northern Beaches Secondary College (Exhibition game)

Nowra Anglican v St Gregory’s College

St Catherine’s Catholic College v Randwick Public School

Randwick Public School v Nowra Anglican

St Gregory’s College v St Catherine’s Catholic College

FIELD 2

St Gregory’s College vs Randwick Primary School (Semi final)

St Gregory’s Primary School v Holy Family Primary School

Griffith East Public School v Albury Public School

Holy Family Primary School v Griffith East Public School

St Gregory’s Primary School v Albury Public School

Albury Public School v Holy Family Primary School

Griffith East Public School v St Gregory’s Primary School

DAY 1 REVIEW

Griffith East Primary School have taken out the girls division of the Paul Kelly Cup with a thrilling win over Randwick Public School,

Randwick got off to a blistering start with a goal inside the opening 90 seconds, although they didn’t have the lead for long with Griffith hitting back with a nice set shot from distance to tie the scores inside five minutes.

The roles were reversed in the second half as Griffith shot out of the blocks to hit the scoreboard in the first minute, before Randwick Public levelled things up at 12-all to set up an entertaining final five minutes.

A behind edged Randwick ahead once again, but it was Griffith who poked its nose in front with a major with two minutes remaining as they held on to claim a 3.1 (19) to 2.1 (13) victory at Engie Stadium.

After losing their first game to St Gregory’s Queanbeyan, Griffith East had to fight back with a 15-0 win over Holy Family Primary School and a 14-all draw with Albury Public School to earn their place in the finals.

PREVIEW

The timing of this year’s Paul Kelly Cup couldn’t have been more challenging for Albury Public School.

The prestigious event coincides with school camp and a number of students at the border school have been forced to make a tough decision.

Albury has teams in both the boys and girls divisions of the state finals at Engie Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday, and head of sport Bradley Fyffe said it’s an interesting predicament to be in.

Catch two days of top primary schools Aussie rules action LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV. The girls play on Wednesday and the boys Thursday.

“Unfortunately there’s a clash with the school camp and the Paul Kelly Cup. The students that are attending are sacrificing some of their camp time,” he said.

“It’s a really big testament to them. It’s a hard position to be in and the biggest challenge has been students that have chosen one or the other.

“It’s a big ask of students and their parents as well. The Year 6 students have their camp in Canberra and depending on what day they play, parents are driving them from Canberra to Sydney to ensure they don’t miss out.”

Albury girls will be one of the big chances in Sydney.

Despite the setback there is a sense of confidence among the group that the squads they send will be able to take it up to their rivals.

“The boys that we’ve called upon have been fantastic. In our regional pool we’re such a big school that we send two teams,” Fyffe said.

“Our reserves lost their prelim by two goals, so we could’ve had both in the final. We’re still confident with the boys we’re sending up.

“This is by far the strongest girls team we’ve ever had.

Albury boys are regular strong performers in Sydney.

“At the lunchtime training sessions, the skills the girls are displaying are fantastic. Their lane running, marking and kicking is all silky smooth. They’re hitting targets and not letting the ball hit the ground.”

As part of KommunityTV’s live and exclusive coverage of the Paul Kelly Cup, an inclusion match will also be broadcast on Wednesday at 12.15pm.

The non-competitive fixture is an important showcase of the football community, with Northern Beaches Secondary College, Cromer Campus involved in the match

Originally published as REPLAYS: Henschke PS, Griffith East take out Paul Kelly Cup honours with thrilling victories