Live stream: Cairns SHS out to make impact at the two-day Bill Turner Cup/Trophy Queensland finals

Cairns girls needed penalties while an early goal proved decisive for Corinda boys as the Bill Turner Cup and Trophy state finals came to an exciting climax. Check out all the REPLAYS.

One perfectly placed free kick was the difference on Wednesday as Elias Caperna’s head guided Corinda State High School to 1-0 victory in the Queensland final of the Bill Turner Cup against Murrumba State Secondary College.

Caperna found himself on the end of a fantastic long-distance free kick and deftly knocked the ball past Murrumba’s netminder for the match-winning goal.

State High School v Murrumba State Secondary College (Cup final)

Corinda coach Joe Duckworth praised his squad for their history-making performance.

“It’s the first time we’ve been here (state finals). We’ve never got out of our area before so just to get here was an amazing achievement and experience,” Duckworth said.

“To go all the way and go down to Newcastle is just an amazing achievement and I couldn’t be prouder of them.

“They just show so much fight. They never give up, they never know when they’re beaten and they just keep going.

“That’s just how we play and the culture that we’ve set, and that was reflected in the two days. Now we’ve got to do it all again.”

It was a tense and tight affair in Redcliffe with both teams clearly aware of the high stakes at play.

Low scoring affairs were the theme of Queensland’s finals series across both days with only one team able to score more than one goal in regular time across eight fixtures.

See the full schedule below.

Corinda had the slightly better of the chances in the first half with a few dangerous moments, none more so than late in the half when Murrumba’s goalkeeper was beaten and laying on the ground and a teammate made a goal-line block to keep the game nil-all.

But it didn’t take long for Corinda to strike after the break, when a long-distance free kick was deflected in front of goal by a Caperna header.

Murrumba threw everything it had at an equaliser but Corinda secured its second clean sheet in as many days to advance to the national finals early next month.

Finals will be held at the City of Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Speers Point on September 3 and 4.

CORINDA SHS: 1 (Elias Caperna 32’)

MURRUMBA SSC: 0

GIRLS

Cairns State High booked its ticket to the national finals of the Bill Turner Trophy, claiming victory after a nail-biting penalty shootout 0-0 (3-2 on pens).

It took more than 80 minutes of intense football to find a winner after the teams could not be split through regulation time and 20 minutes of golden-goal extra time, forcing the match to a penalty shootout.

Cairns had the early advantage in the shootout, scoring their first three attempts while Chancellor’s players missed their first two.

Cairns State High School v Chancellor State College (Trophy final)

But with the game on the line, Chancellor goalkeeper Alexa Holroyd made two high-pressure saves to keep the game alive while her teammates netted their shots.

Holroyd stepped up to take Chancellors’ fifth penalty but this time Cairns shotstopper Ella Buie was up to the challenge, turning away the ball to ignite passionate onfield celebrations as the Cairns players erupted.

Locked at nil-all throughout the match, goalkeepers Buie (Cairns) and Holroyd (Chancellor) constantly outdid each other with highlights reel saves to keep the deadlock intact.

The longer the game went on, the less ambitious the players became as the threat of conceding outweighed attacking intent and it became clear the game was destined for a thrilling finish.

CAIRNS SHS: 0 (3)

CHANCELLOR: 0 (2)

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF

Kelvin Grove Secondary College and Varsity College shared the spoils in Queensland’s third-place playoff of the Bill Turner Trophy, finishing 1-1 after a long-range wonder strike tied the game late.

Varsity had taken the lead early when a defensive clearance bounced off Varsity College forward Nina Davey and looped back over the goalkeeper for an unlikely goal.

The Gold Coast school then weathered a storm of opportunities for half an hour with goalkeeper Imogen Graham making a number of key saves in the first half to keep her team ahead.

Kelvin Grove State College (1) v Varsity College (1) (Trophy third place playoff)

But Kelvin Grove refused to back down and they finally found an equaliser through Ziana Ludwig.

The small forward finished an absolute screamer to tie the game with just over 10 minutes to play, launching a rocket from outside the box that sailed across the face of goal and into the top-left corner.

Both schools scrambled to find a winner but in the end a draw was a fair result.

VARSITY COLLEGE: 1 (Nina Davey 13’)

KELVIN GROVE SC: 1 (Xiana Ludwig 48’)

Cleveland finished third in the Queensland finals of the Bill Turner Cup on Wednesday, beating Cairns State High 1-0 to claim bronze.

Cleveland took advantage of three minutes of chaos to score the only goal of the game through striker Farrell Gordon in the 17th minute.

It began when heavy contact between Gordon and Cairns keeper Rhys Govorko in the race to a loose ball saw a penalty awarded to Cleveland in the 14th minute.

Cairns State High School v Cleveland State high School (Cup third place playoff)

Govorko saved Josh Jelley’s shot from the spot but was left stranded in no-man’s land when Cairns turned the ball over attempting to clear the danger zone.

Physical Cleveland midfielder Hamish Massey pounced on a limp pass and dribbled a probing kick through the line to Charlie Lesbriel, who thought better of taking on Govorko from a wide angle, and delivered a silky cross for Gordon to score in acres of time and space.

Gordon showed his composure to finish just moments after his impact with the Cairns keeper rattled his cage, leaving him winded on the ground.

Cleveland State High was the dominant force throughout the first half, converting sure tackling and intercepting in midfield into a number of shots on goal.

Govorko was his side’s busiest player and his aggressive nature, regularly charging off the line to defuse Cleveland raids, kept his side’s deficit to 1-0 despite an overwhelming lack of possession and territory.

It was a disappointing end of the state finals for Cairns, failing to score a goal across two fixtures.

CLEVELAND SHS: 1 (Farrell Gordon 17’)

CAIRNS SHS: 0

TUESDAY MATCH REVIEWS AND REPLAYS

Murrumba 1 d Cleveland 0 (Bill Turner Cup semifinal)

An early goal proved the difference as Murrumba State Secondary College secured a place in Queensland’s Bill Turner Cup decider by defeating Cleveland State High School 1-0.

Warning bells were sounding for Cleveland within 10 minutes when a slick one-two pass from Callum Verschoyle put Jake Flanagan one-on-one with the keeper, and the Murrmba forward made no mistake with a calmly potted shot to score.

The teams traded chances, but neither side was able to penetrate the resolute defence despite some fine chances.

Murrumba SSC v Cleveland SHS (Cup semifinal)

There was a mad scramble in front of goal just after halftime as Cleveland hunted for an equaliser, but a number of consecutive goal-line clearances and blocks kept Murrumba’s sheet clean.

Murrumba will face Corinda State High School in Wednesday’s decider at 3pm with a place in September’s national finals on the line.

Corinda High 1 d Cairns High 0 (Bill Turner Cup semifinal)

Corinda State High School is a step closer to Bill Turner Cup glory after holding on for a hard-fought 1-0 win over Cairns State High School.

Physical forward Jeremiah Samy was a force to be reckoned with in and around the box as he battled for the ball with his size and strength.

Samy had a number of good chances saved by Cairns goalkeeper Rhys Govorko, but eventually the Corinda striker was able to find the back of the net with a shot from well outside the box that was driven into the bottom-left corner.

Cairns SHS v Corinda SHS (Cup semifinal)

Corinda had the bulk of possession following the goal, but Govorko was sensational between the sticks to keep it a one-goal game.

Unfortunately for the Far North Queensland school, they were unable to find the solitary score needed to send the match top extra time.

Corinda coach Joe Duckworth said it was a game played with good spirit between the schools.

“What a game, two teams going at it and playing the game the right way,” Duckworth said.

“Cairns were an excellent opponent and had some incredible players, the goalkeeper and young Tim McCarthy stood out massively.

“For our lads we couldn’t be prouder of the effort – they showed up and played our football.

“It’s been a huge week for our program and this group has just made another piece of history. We are excited for the final.”

CORINDA SHS: 1 (Jeremiah Samy goal)

CAIRNS SHS: 0

Chancellor High 2 d Varsity College 1 (Trophy semifinal)

Chancellor State High School advanced to a state Bill Turner Trophy final showdown with Cairns High after an incredible 2-1 come-from-behind extra time victory over Varsity College.

It had looked like Varsity would hold on for a scrappy 1-0 victory until disaster struck in the dying stages.

A low driven shot was spilt by the keeper, pounced upon by Tahlia Kelly and finished on the goal-line by Reaghan Hoffmann to level the score and force golden goal extra time.

After assisting the equaliser, Kelly broke the deadlock in the second half of extra time with a sensational curling shot from outside the box to send her team though to the next stage in a stunning boilover.

Chancellor State College v Varsity College (Trophy semifinal)

Chancellor SHS coach Jeremy Stewart lauded Varsity’s goalkeeper for an “outstanding” performance which shouldn’t be blemished by one mistake.

“It was a good, hard-fought contest. As the game went on our girls grew into the game,” Stewart said.

“In tough conditions, teams went down to nine against nine which created holes and Tahlia Kelly was able to finish from outside the 18-yeard box.”

Varsity’s Tianna Richards opened the scoring midway through the first half when she beat two defenders and blasted a shot from outside the box. The powerful strike slipped through the keeper’s outstretched gloves and into the back of the net.

Gold Coast’s Varsity College appeared to have scored a second goal with less than 10 minutes to play, but the whistle blew for an offside just as the ball rolled past the keeper and across the line.

Chancellor SHS will take on Cairns SHS on Wednesday in the Queensland Trophy final while Varsity College take on Kelvin Grove SC in the third-place playoff.

CHANCELLOR SHS: 2 (Reaghan Hoffmann, Tahlia Kelly (ET) goal)

VARSITY: 1 (Tianna Richards, Tahlia Kelly goal)

Cairns High 2 d Kelvin Grove 1 (Trophy Semifinal)

Cairns State High School drew first blood at Queensland’s Bill Turner Trophy finals, beating Brisbane team Kelvin Grove Secondary College 2-1 to kick off proceedings.

Cairns forwards Emily Carless and Macinley Smith starred with a goal each as the Far North Queensland powerhouse stamped its authority on the match, controlling territory with a strong press.

But it was Ruby Jordan’s goal for Kelvin Grove early in the second half which will stay in the memory of spectators after a Barcelona-like build-up.

Cairns SHS v Kelvin Grove (Trophy semifinal)

Following a midfield turnover, eight different players combined with 10 passes to move the ball all the way from the backline deep into attack. Millie Green latched onto a through ball and rounded the keeper before passing back in to Jordan for a simple tap-in.

Carless opened the scoring in the 19th minute when a shot from a near-impossible angle found the back of the net following a turnover deep in attack.

Kelvin Grove finally equalised after putting on a spectacular display of free-flowing team football at its best.

Cairns hit the lead again when Alisha Mays split the centre backs with a splendid through ball for Smith to finish with a curling strike from just outside the box.

Cairns coach Josh Purton said it took a whole-team effort to snatch back control in the second half.

Celebration time for Cairns High girls.

“They were great individual goals, but at the end of the day it’s about a team collective effort and I thought all the girls were fantastic and really dug deep against quality opposition,” Purton said.

“I thought the other team played the ball around really well. We’ll approach (Wednesday)’s game the same way and see how we go.”

Kelvin Grove coach Jess Condon said she was proud of her side’s showing.

“They pressed us hard and they put in a really good performance, so it was unfortunate for our girls, but I can’t fault their effort – they did a good job,” Condon said.

CAIRNS SHS: 2 (Emily Carless, Macinley Smith goals)

KELVIN GROVE SC: 1 (Ruby Jordan goal)

PREVIEW

Cairns State High School is quickly turning from footballing minnows to round ball renegades as they push for glory at the Bill Turner Cup and Trophy finals.

The Bill Turner Cup is a national competition for school-based footballers 15 years and under that has been running for more than 40 years, expanding to welcome girls into the fold for the Bill Turner Trophy in 2003.

Cairns SHS’s girls will take on Kelvin Grove State College from the Darling Downs while the school’s boys will face Corinda State High School in the Queensland finals.

Catch every Bill Turner Cup and Trophy finals game LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV. Games will be played in Brisbane on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 6-7.

The Far North Queensland school has been a powerhouse of the sport for the last decade since the inception of its football excellence program.

The school’s girls’ side finished third in the national finals in 2019 and 2022 after winning the Queensland finals.

Cairns made the nationals girls semis in 2022.

Since their first top-four finish in 2016, when they were runners-up to Queensland powerhouse Cavendish Road State High, the Cairns SHS team has made the state semifinals in five of six years (up to 2022).

Cairns SHS girls’ coach Josh Purton said it had been a long journey that was starting to show tremendous results.

“It’s been a bit of a grind. The girls’ football excellence program only started in 2015,” Purton said.

“It gained traction quite quickly and we’ve had a bit of success. Success breeds success and we’ve been fortunate to have quite a solid program here that entices talented students within this region to come to the school.”

Purton’s girls will need no extra motivation on Tuesday facing Kelvin Grove State College – the team that knocked them out of finals last year in a penalty shootout.

“We’ll reflect on the game last year and try to identify any areas where we could have done better or where we can exploit them this year,” Purton said.

“It was a little bit of heartbreak last year, so hopefully the girls that were involved are ready to go down and fight for victory against the team that defeated them last year.”

Kelvin Grove made the semifinals last year.

Cairns State High’s boys team has its own element of personal motivation with coach Josh Taylor having a history with Tuesday opponent Corinda State High School’s coach Joe Duckworth.

Taylor and Duckworth had a number of battles in the NPL during their playing days and no love will be lost between the two mentors.

Taylor said Cairns captain Tim McCarthy would be pivotal to his side’s success.

“He’ll probably have the strongest impact in the game. He’s our striker,” McCarthy said.

“He’s scored a lot of goals in the qualifiers so hopefully he can do the same thing when we’re down there.

“He loves getting it at his feet, loves trying to draw players in so he can beat them one-on-one and he’s lethal in front of goal, loves to finish.”

Following the Queensland finals, winners will advance to nationals, which will be held at the City of Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Speers Point on September 3 and 4.

Originally published as Live stream: Cairns SHS out to make impact at the two-day Bill Turner Cup/Trophy Queensland finals