Langer Trophy: State of Origin rivalry among Mabel Park mates
Langer Trophy live stream: Why a Mabel Park SHS player from Josh Papalii’s old town of Logan cheers for NSW on Origin night - while his teammates roar for the Maroons.
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Elijah Tagiilima may be a Mabel Park SHS winger in the Langer Trophy - and a Southport Tigers junior to boot - yet he is somehow cheering for the Blues during this State of Origin series.
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Tagiilima will play alongside his centre Jaycob Kingston-Francis - a staunch Queensland supporter - in today’s Langer Trophy match against Wavell SHS (6pm) at Wavell.
The match celebrates Wavell’s annual Homecoming celebration, an event when past students and families return to the school famous for producing Greg Inglis and a host of international and NRL players.
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The Mabel-Wavell game, and all Langer fixtures, were exclusively live streamed by The Courier-Mail, along with News Corp affiliates, on the KommunityTV platform.
Enticed to follow the Blues by his admiration for NSW captain James Tedesco, Mabel winger Tagiilima is a shameless supporter of New South Wales despite going to school in Maroons’ heartland - Logan City - just down the road from where retired Maroons great Josh Papalii lived.
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“I have been going for them because I have always liked them. James Tedesco is my favourite player, the player I look up to.’’
Fortunately his Mabel Park centre Kingston-Francis is an avid Queenslander - despite Kingston-Francis being signed by the Canberra Raiders, ironically the club he supported growing up.
“It (signing with Canberra) is massive encouragement, you feel like you want to keep pushing forward,’’ Kingston-Francis said.
Kingston-Francis, a Wynnum Manly junior, said off the back of training during the off-season with the Raiders, and then playing Meninga Cup under 18s for the Seagulls, his game had been sharpened.
“That has helped take my game to the next level,’’ said Kingston-Francis who has switched from lock to centre this season.
Kingston-Francis played just one match last year in the Langer, but it was a big help. “That one match has set a standard and now I know what I am moving into,’’ Kingston-Francis said.
Both Kingston-Francis and Tagiilima said they loved the “one big family’’ atmosphere of Mabel Park, and also its down to earth culture.
“It is not a fancy school. We don’t need much, any fancy things and we like to work as the underdogs,’’ Tagiilima said. Underdogs - he sounds just like a Queenslander.
Originally published as Langer Trophy: State of Origin rivalry among Mabel Park mates
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