Live stream: Emmaus College look to get back into Dolphins Cup title race against Rockhampton Grammar

Defending champions Emmaus have fallen short in their must-win clash with Rockhampton Grammar, but it wasn’t before one fierce second-half fightback. Watch the full REPLAY.

Rockhampton Grammar have locked in a Dolphins Cup semi-final berth after holding off a second-half resurgence from defending champions Emmaus College.

Brothers Cooper and Mason Broadhurst both crossed in the hard-fought 18-14 win played in Rockhampton on Tuesday afternoon.

Grammar started the game in impressive style, taking a 16-6 lead into the break.

But with their season on the line, Emmaus came out firing in the second half and an early try to winger Caleb Hare on the left edge closed the gap to six points.

REPLAY

Emmaus College v Rockhampton Grammar - Dolphins Cup Round 4

Watch the full replay in the window above.

They kept the pressure on but Grammar’s defence, led by the ever-consistent Henry Kallquist, held firm.

Emmaus were relentless and looked certain to score before a 40/20 from Grammar’s crafty halfback Callum Denman turned the momentum.

A penalty from the ensuing set put them out to an 18-10 lead.

Resilience has been one of Emmaus’s greatest strengths and it came to the fore again as they worked their way downfield to send second rower Deacon Maguire over with four minutes to play.

They were within striking distance again as the clock ticked down but the final pass went to ground, handing Grammar their second win from three games.

Victorious coach Nathan Doyle said it was a game of two halves.

“We played really well in the first half but we turned over too much footy in poor positions in the second half,” he said.

Grammar are now guaranteed a place in the finals, something Doyle and his team had set their sights on after a winless 2023 season.

Grammar also took the points in the Dolphins Challenge game with a 24-10 win over Emmaus.

Due to a late schedule change the Dolphins Challenge match was not streamed live. We apologise for the inconvenience.

PREVIEW

Emmaus College simply must win on Tuesday to have any chance of resurrecting their Dolphins Cup campaign.

The reigning champions, who have been beset with injuries, take on Rockhampton Grammar at 4.15pm in Round 4 of the schoolboys rugby league competition.

You can watch the Dolphins Cup match LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV from 4.15pm.

Check the full LIVE STREAM schedule for all Queensland games this week.

Emmaus have lost their two opening games, but coach Mitchel Smith knows all too well the resilience of his players.

He’s hoping that mental toughness and the solid form they showed in the latter stages of the Confraternity Carnival will lead to a strong Dolphins Cup finish.

“Our season’s on life support at the moment, but where there’s a little bit of air and we’re still breathing, we’re still a chance,” he said.

Back rower Josh Nilon will have a big role to play for Emmaus on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we’ve got to win two games to guarantee a semifinal spot, so that’s what we’re looking for.”

Smith said the talented quartet of Will McLaughlin, Josh Nilon, Lathan McMeekan and Harri Meilland would be crucial in Emmaus’s quest.

“Will got our best player at Confro. He’s matured into a genuine halfback who can lead a side and was fantastic for us up there,” he said.

“Josh leads our forward pack defensively and attack-wise, Lathan at hooker tackled everything and Harry at the back was really strong.”

Emmaus will need to contain Grammar's gun forward Henry Kallquist. Photo: Rachael McDonald

Smith said his players could not afford to switch off, something they had been guilty of in previous games.

They had to produce a complete 60-minute performance against a Grammar outfit Smith rates highly.

He said they were solid across the park and boasted a powerful forward pack, led by prop Henry Kallquist and second rower Cooper Broadhurst.

“They’re not going to be easy - and we’re certainly not going to be taking it easy,” Smith said.