Dolphins Cup v Payne Cup winners live stream: Emmaus College take on St Patrick’s Mackay

It’s on to Townsville now for the Payne Cup big guns and a shot at becoming the best school in Queensland, after they saw off a tough challenge from Emmaus College. Relive all the action.

It was a great day for the St Pat’s Schoolboys program.

One of the best in fact.

The Payne Cup winners triumphed 28-6 over Dolphins Cup winners Emmaus College, following on from the Year 9/10 side’s 44-0 annihilation in style to progress to the Queensland Schoolboys final. 

And just as Trae Cora lit up the left edge with a hat-trick earlier in the day, Storm-contracted Bailey Anderson would wreak havoc down the right.

He, too, would finish with three tries, spearheading a clinical St Pat’s showing.

Jaxon Purdue played an important role in the victory.

Don’t let the scoreboard fool you, this was no one-sided affair, no barnstorming domination.

Rather, it was a cool and collected display from a team that knows how to win, sprinkled with moments of individual dazzle. 

Emmaus attacked with the footy just as much, if not more, than St Pat’s.

Yet a darting effort under the posts from five-eighth Clancy Hohn - off the back of a particularly dominant patch of play from Emmaus - was the only time the Rockhampton school could breach the stonewall defence that was St Pat’s.

While the St Pat’s offence thrived in the moments of frenzy, moments of chaos. 

Take their third try, when Anderson caught Jaxon Purdue’s bomb under pressure, quickly offloaded to Will Shears, and got the ball back to run it under the posts all in the same play.

Or their fourth, where Will Shears hunted down his own dribble kick with the intent of a starved predator, forcing the panicked Emmaus defender to fumble the footy into the lap of Anderson, who would again run under the posts. 

It may have been Anderson who cashed in with a hat-trick, but Cowboys-contracted Shears caused just as many headaches down the right edge.

It was fitting the centre crossed in the corner for St Pat’s fifth and final try. 

Captain and fellow Cowboy Purdue, led his side from the front and played well out of the halves. He would also score with a springing effort out of dummy half.

Xavier Kerrisk was one of the stars of the show.

Hooker Xavier Kerrisk, another Cowboys, was impressive. as per usual, while centre Tenzin Contor has some strong moments on the left edge.

Lead by Tawhirirangi Taurima, the Emmaus forward pack was gallant in defeat.

St Pat’s will set off to Townsville next week for the Queensland Schoolboys final.

“We’re on the map, and we’re here to stay,” said coach Ian Schifilliti following last week’s Payne Cup triumph.

His side is certainly proving him right.

PREVIEW

Their motto is “find a way” and coach Mitchel Smith is confident Emmaus will do just that against St Pat’s in the Northern and Central Schoolboys Cup final on Wednesday.

Resilience and a never-say-die attitude were at the heart of their dramatic Dolphins Cup grand final win and those traits would hold them in good stead again against the best team from the north.

Smith has maintained that if his side was within striking distance with five minutes to go, he would always back them in.

WATCH THE DOLPHINS v COWBOYS CHALLENGE FINAL HERE

WATCH THE LANGER TROPHY GRAND FINAL HERE

WATCH THE WALTERS CUP, LANGER RESERVES DECIDER HERE

See the full Queensland Schoolboys Grand Final week schedule below.

FOOTBALL FACTORIES: EVERY AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOY OF THE LAST DECADE

And so it was in the Cup decider against The Cathedral College when, down 20-18, their star fullback Seth Carpenter crossed for the match winner with four minutes on the clock.

“I’ve coached a lot of good sports teams, but to me, this is probably the best,” Smith said.

“It’s their want, how tight they all are, that’s what makes them so special.

‘Commitment over talent’: INSIDE MINDSET SHIFT THAT TRANSFORMED ST PAT’S

Emmaus College hooker Liam Barnes.

Centre Sam Durkin has had a big campaign.

“They know if they look left or look right, they’ve got a brother there who’s going to help them out.

“This is the biggest game in the school’s history, I think. We’re one win away from being in the state final.

“There’s a lot riding on it, and the boys know that, but they’re not fazed by the pressure, they like it, they actually thrive on it.”

Smith rates his spine of Carpenter, five-eighth Clancy Hohn, halfback Isaac Walker and hooker Liam Barnes as one of the most dangerous in schoolboys football, and their combination would be vital.

He said his forward pack, led by workhorse props Tawhirirangi Taurima and Zac Adams, matched up well against St Pat’s.

But he knows his outfit will have to work hard to contain the opposition’s dynamic attacking duo of halfback Jaxon Purdue and hooker Xavier Kerrisk, who orchestrated their team’s commanding 32-10 win over Kirwan State High in the Aaron Payne Cup decider.

Emmaus College back rower Josh Nilon on the charge.

That will be a big challenge for us, so we’ll have to work as a team and we’ll have to have a really good defensive line,” he said.

“They score a lot of tries in a short period of time, so we’ll need to be on our game.

“If we can survive the first half and it’s close towards the back end of the game, we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”