How you can watch elite schoolboy footy
From next week, all the Aaron Payne Cup and Allan Langer Trophy matches will be livestreamed right here. This is everything you need to know.
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The Broncos are bad and the Cowboys might be worse – but rugby league fans will get to watch successful Queensland teams when the elite schoolboy competitions are livestreamed on The Courier-Mail website from next week.
REPLAY: St Mary’s v Coombabah State High School in the Allan Langer Cup
WATCH: Watch St Pat’s v Rocky Grammar in Aaron Payne Cup
All matches from the Aaron Payne Cup and Allan Langer Trophy, the symbols of schoolboy league supremacy in north and south Queensland respectively, will screen on www.couriermail.com.au.
That’s dozens of games of league live from the competition that has produced such stars as Greg Inglis, David Fifita, Payne Haas and new Broncos fullback Tesi Nui.
The move is an innovation from News Corp in Queensland, with more than 200 games of schoolboy and girl sport set to stream on the site, and our regional sister titles, between now and November.
Also locked in are the State schools finals for AFL, basketball and Queensland football’s Schools Premier League.
Senior sport booked in for streaming includes weekly game-of-the-round coverage of basketball’s Queensland State League, and weekly coverage of the Polo 5s water polo tournament, which includes a number of Olympians, from Monday.
Executive Editor Bryce Johns said The Courier-Mail was out to prove it was more than a news site.
‘’We cover this State like no one else, and adding a deep streaming service will add more value to subscribers,’’ he said.
The head of Queensland School Sport Rugby League, Andrew Peach, said News’ innovation was a great help to communities worried about Coronavirus.
‘’With the current issues around COVID-19, it is great that we’ve been able to get this top level competition underway in 2020,’’ Mr Peach, executive principal of Marsden High, said.
‘’The partnership with News to livestream the games provides outstanding support for our families who are unable to attend games, while also providing us with high quality footage of Australia’s No 1 schools competition.’’
So far, more basketball matches than anything else are booked to screen, with The Courier-Mail planning to cover the State finals for under-12, under-14, under-16 and junior and senior secondary schools divisions. Plus weekly matches from the State League, the division under the NBL.
Basketball Queensland chief operating officer Joshua Pascoe said a lot of hurdles needed to be cleared to get players back on the court. And the livestreaming meant everyone would be able to enjoy the hard work.
‘’It gives parents the chance to watch their kids play if they’re unable to travel in these uncertain times or be there in person. Much of the competition is during work hours so parents can now watch their kids live or when they get home from work when it wasn’t an option for them before.’’
Round-ball code fans get one of the first tastes of live-streaming with qualifying rounds of the high quality Queensland Schools Premier League debuting next week when qualifying starts.
About 30% of players are state representatives and co-chair Sean Curtis said streaming was ‘’another step forward in our long term vision to continue to grow our competition’’.
The AFL Schools Cup, one of the most watched events last year, will be back on October 23-24.
A newcomer to streaming is water polo, with the Polo 5s going live Monday night.
A short six-week competition with modified rules to get competitors back in the water, 30 teams will battle it out, with streaming starting Monday.
Water Polo Queensland chief executive Melanie Woosnam, said: “During a Covid environment, live streaming is particularly important as it provides our members and the broader Queensland community with the opportunity to watch these games live and safely on their mobile devices without having to be physically present.’’
Sixteen games of league, football and water polo will stream next week alone.
*Any sports organisation who would like us to consider streaming their event should email: Bryce.johns@news.com.au
League, football, water polo: What we’re streaming next week
The 16 matches being streamed on The Courier-Mail this week are:
Water polo
Monday: 6pm: Polo Bears (white) vs Gold Coast (blue), 6:30pm: Breakers (white) vs Wet (blue), 7pm: The Magpies (white) vs MVBs (blue), 7:30pm: Barra Girls (white) vs Reow (blue).
League
Tuesday: Payne Cup: Kirwan SHS v Mackay SHS, 1.15pm.
Wednesday: Payne Cup: St Brendan’s College vs Ignatius Park College, 11.45am; Cathedral College vs St Pats Mackay, 3.30. Langer Trophy: St Mary’s vs Marsden, 4pm; Palm Beach Currumbin v Ipswich, 5pm; Keebra Park v Wavell, 5pm.
Football
Wednesday: SPL qualifiers, senior girls, from 9.30: Aspley, Murrumba and PBC North Star.
Thursday: SPL qualifiers, senior boys, from 9am: Chancellor, Corinda and Marsden.