Live stream: Kirwan SHS take on St Patrick’s College, Mackay in Aaron Payne Cup grand final
Kirwan have gone back through the archives, including to a time dominated by a certain Jeremiah Nanai, for inspiration ahead of Aaron Payne Cup final. Check out the action LIVE on Thursday.
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Kirwan’s Bears will harness the school’s glittering rugby league history to write their own chapter in Thursday’s Aaron Payne Cup grand final against St Patrick’s.
The 2024 decider will be the 10th time in 12 seasons that the Bears have featured on grand final day, since Cowboys life member and former Kirwan No.9 Payne’s name was bestowed on the old Super 8s trophy in 2013.
WATCH THE PAYNE CUP AND NQ SCHOOLGIRLS FINALS LIVE
Kirwan can claim their seventh title with victory over St Pat’s and, in doing so, will bring home the Cup for the first time since Jeremiah Nanai’s 2020 title win.
Nanai’s Kirwan coach Todd Wilson returned to take over the football program in 2024 and believes that history can help the school snap their longest title drought in over a decade.
“They all want to write their own chapter in the history of rugby league at the school, and the ball is in their court this week to do that. They are aware of that opportunity,” Wilson said.
The coach wasted no time in showing highlights from the school’s past, including footage from the 2015 and 2019 national championship teams, to his 2024 squad during pre-season to show what they too could accomplish.
“They are really well aware of the people that have come before them, and the fact that 2024 is their opportunity to paint their own picture,” Wilson said.
“We do work on the history and I think that’s really important to engage with the people that have paved the way for them.
“We showed them a few highlights from years gone by so they realise how exciting it is and they can dare to put themselves out there and work hard to write their own chapter.”
THE BIG TURNING POINT IN ST PATS’ SEASON
St Pat’s coach Tom Gaviglio believes the match against Kirwan back on July 18 ‘could prove the turning point’ in their season.
“We had a slow start to the year, and really that second game against Kirwan was key
for us,” Gaviglio said.
“We were down 10-4 at halftime, but the boys rallied and dug really deep in that game
to play some tough, gritty footy.
“We ended up getting on top 20-10. I guess that was really the point where we started to
find our identity as a team.”
St Pat’s prop Eli Cookson is one to watch in this one, as he has dazzled over the course
of this competition with some memorable tries and a clutch match-winning assist.
“He was big last time we played (Kirwan) and he’s done a good job across the course of the
season,” Gaviglio said.
He said the key to St Pat’s getting across the finish line would be maintaining their
composure in the high-pressure moments.
“It’s just about trying to control the emotions of the whole day, and getting them to
understand that things can sometimes not go your way in these big names,” Gaviglio
said.
“For us, it’s about controlling what we can control throughout the contest.
“Their forward pack is probably a bit bigger than ours is, they’ve got some good and
effective centres who are dangerous and quick.
“Our edges just need to be aware that their footwork is good and they need to be prepared
for that.”
Gavilgio said a high pass conversion rate and keeping the ball in play would also be
critical for them to get the win.
“We’re a smaller team and so introducing fatigue into the equation is important for us,”
he said.
How Broncos whiz kid has taken Payne Cup by storm
He is the Broncos-bound playmaker set to be crowned the finest schoolboy rugby league player in North Queensland at 16 years old, but Adam McSherry has one last goal to accomplish before his debut Aaron Payne Cup season is complete.
The St Patrick’s College Mackay five-eighth is tipped to become the youngest player ever to win the Michael Morgan Medal as the competition’s player of the year and can seal the honour on Thursday by leading his school to victory in a grand final showdown with Kirwan State High School.
The 2024 Aaron Payne Cup decider will be livestreamed exclusively for digital subscribers of this masthead from 1.30pm on Thursday, as the final act of a grand final triple-header between the schools.
St Patrick’s and Kirwan will also meet in the grand finals of the Cowboys Schoolgirls Cup at 12pm and the Cowboys Challenge at 10.30am.
Past winners of the Michael Morgan Medal include Jeremiah Nanai (2020), Tom Duffy (2021), Jamal Shibasaki (2022) and Jaxon Purdue (2023).
Three of those four went on to make their NRL debuts for the Cowboys within 18 months of winning the medal, while 2021 winner Tom Duffy is tipped to become the Cowboys starting No.7 before his 22nd birthday.
There are few greater predictors of first grade potential than dominating North Queensland’s brutal Aaron Payne Cup but that is exactly what Year 11 No.6 McSherry has done.
With nine tries in seven games, the speedy playmaker – unmissable in bright pink headgear – has already become the first player in the post-Covid era of the competition to score nine tries in one season.
He is the man that six-time Payne Cup champion Kirwan State High School is most determined to stop because the Townsville’s school’s hopes for its seventh title depend on it.
“There’s NRL written all over that kid for sure,” Kirwan coach Todd Wilson praised.
“He’s got massive potential and he’s certainly been one of those players that you’ve watched improve as you watch them play. He’s certainly a major threat and someone who is really valuable to their team.”
Kirwan will focus on itself before worrying about individual opponents but such is the respect the school has for the St Patrick’s No.6, the Bears’ have tailored their game plan around denying McSherry the oxygen he needs to ignite a football match.
“Like any good half it’s about reducing their time,” the 2019 national champion coach said.
“The more time they’ve got, the better decisions they make and the more effective they are.
“You certainly need to control their middle forwards to reduce the half’s time with the ball and he’s certainly a player that, given time and space, he’ll make you pay for it – but we can’t afford to focus on just one player.”
Wilson said his team was stocked full of competitors who would rise to the challenge of taking the fight to McSherry, including his own classy fullback Logan Brookes.
The frizzy-haired No.1 may be the most exciting unsigned talent in Queensland and has the potent mix of electricity required to steal the spotlight away from the young gun Bronco.
Originally published as Live stream: Kirwan SHS take on St Patrick’s College, Mackay in Aaron Payne Cup grand final
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