2025 Langer Trophy live stream: Palm Beach Currumbin SHS v Wavell SHS, Round 2

Palm Beach Currumbin bounced back in a big way in the Langer Trophy, while it’s girls side carved out a slice of school history in the NRL Schoolgirls Cup. Watch the REPLAYS.

Palm Beach Currumbin State High School bounced back from its shock round 1 defeat in style with a pressure-easing victory over Wavell State High School in round 2 of the Langer Trophy on Wednesday night.

The reigning champions went into the clash off the back of a 26-0 thumping at the hands of Mabel Park in round 1 which led to a tough ‘honesty session’ for the group.

However, the team which turned out against Wavell was a far different side from the week before as they claimed a 24-4 win and gave glimpses of why they were the best team in the country last year.

WATCH THE LANGER TROPHY REPLAY ABOVE, SCROLL DOWN FOR THE SCHOOLGIRLS CUP AND WALTERS CUP

Despite the scoreline, the victory was not all smooth sailing as Wavell captain Sangostar Figota opened the scoring with an impressive breakaway try after 18 minutes.

With the pressure mounting, the diamonds within Palm Beach Currumbin rose above and fullback Kaea Cribb responded with a try late in the first half with an impressive solo to give his side their first try of the season.

The contest remained an arm wrestle before hooker Jai Bilish stepped up and showed why he is captain and led from the front.

Bilish was instrumental in two tries in back-to-back sets midway through the second half which helped break the game open.

He kickstarted a major drive with a dazzling line break from dummy half and set-up a try for halfback Taj Leteo two plays later.

Bilish was in the thick of the action again the very next set as he made another barnstorming run from dummy half and broke two tackles before his key offload opened up the Wavell defence again.

The captain then backed his efforts up as he made another try assist the very next play.

PBC did not look back from there as it maintained the ascendancy for the remainder of the contest to return to the winners’ circle and relieve the early-season pressure.

Replay: Palm Beach Currumbin SHS v St James College

A double to flying winger Taharnee Byrnes has helped Palm Beach Currumbin carve out a slive of history in its first win the NRL Schoolgirls Cup.

The Gold Coast nursery had to do it the hard way, coming from behind to topple fellow Schoolgirls Cup rookies St James College.

Palm Beach Currumbin trailed by six points at the halftime break, but quickly ate away at the deficit when Byrnes latched onto a pass from her centre to touch down out wide.

The Croyston sisters had a massive hand in the win for Palm Beach, with hooker Mackenzie scoring the match-winning try and lock Saskia taking the fight to a sizeable St James pack.

St James deserve plenty of credit, they had a clear size advantage in the middle of the field and they used it well in the first half.

When Kina Vainga fooled everyone from the back of the scrum, it appeared the St James side were off to the races at 10-0 up after 10 minutes.

But Palm Beach proved why you can never count them out of a contest.

Replay: Palm Beach Currumbin SHS v Wavell SHS (Walters Cup)

The fleet footwork of Wavell High halfback Maihi Pene helped inspire the side to a second-straight win in the Walters Cup.

Pene had a hand in two late tries for the Wavell side as they overcame a valiant Palm Beach Currumbin 24-14.

PREVIEW

Palm Beach Currumbin State High School have staged a team honesty session in a bid to recapture the form that led to the 2024 national title, ahead of a Wednesday Langer Trophy showdown with unbeaten Wavell State High School.

PBC’S debut as national champions arrived with a stark reminder why the Langer Trophy is regarded as the world’s toughest schoolboy rugby league, with a 26-0 shutout to last year’s Queensland quarter-finalists Mabel Park.

Players met the day after that sobering defeat to hear some hard truths, which coach Tim Maccan believes can inspire PBC to reclaim its championship aura in a fixture livestreamed for the nation by KommunityTV.

The triple header will kick off with Walters Cup action from 4.30pm, with the Langer Trophy clash at 5.30pm and Schoolgirls Cup clash also available live and exclusive from 6.45pm.

“We didn’t play our best with the squad that was there (against Mabel Park) and we had a bit of a review on that on Thursday,” Maccan revealed.

“I identified a few key areas and set a few goals that we want to have for the team, so I’m looking for a good response from the next game against Wavell.

“It was around the effort areas of what the boys have to produce, not only on the field but at training. Holding themselves and each other accountable.

“The team has to be in charge of their own destiny, now, and make sure they are putting in all the effort at training to then push into the games.

Palm Beach Currumbin SHS big man Devin Bates-Wellington in action during round 1. Picture: Liam Kidston

“We set little goals on minimising mistakes, sticking to plans and making sure we complete our sets, things like that. The main points were just really basic stuff to help you get through footy games.

“There wasn’t specific stuff on scoring this many points, doing this, doing that. It was ‘let’s get the basic parts right’. If we get the basic things right then whole team will play together.”

Brisbane Broncos centre Antonio Verhouven has returned from a family funeral in New Zealand, just in time for a showdown with Wavell’s own Broncos-signed centre talent Billo Wotton.

The 16-year-old Palm Islander Wotton was scouted from Charters Towers in North Queensland and has already drawn comparison to Broncos great Justin Hodges in both build and strike power.

Wotton’s duel with Burleigh’s Mal Meninga Cup state champion Verhouven is one worth circling as the present and future of Brisbane’s emerging centre stocks face off.

“Antonio has just been picked in the Queensland Schoolboys after a strong performance at the state carnival a few weeks ago and he’s ready for anything, 100 per cent,” Maccan said.

“He’ll definitely be fitting that mould of Deine and Sam (recent PBC centres Deine Mariner and Sam Stephenson, now with the Broncos and Titans).

“He’s tall, fast, very strong and developing his skills really quickly. He’s definitely up there with Deine and Sam for speed that’s for sure.”

PBC national champion five-eighth Marley McLaren will be out until the finals with a dislocated ankle while wing star Fynn Laffranchi, backrowers Kobe Hauraki and Brody Saunders will miss at least three more games.