LANGER CUP: St Mary’s College employs size ahead of gruelling campaign

St Mary’s has won in a tough fought Langer Trophy match against Wavell while Wavell defeated Forest Lake in the Walters Cup.

UPDATE:

St Mary’s has won in a tough fought Langer Trophy match against Wavell.

Watch the replay in the player above.

EARLIER: RUGBY LEAGUE: With eight teams going to war in this year’s Langer Cup, the stakes have never been higher.

It’s why St Mary’s College has left no stone unturned as it looks to prove itself against the powerhouses of the Queensland Schoolboys competition.

Their season gets underway at St Mary’s on Wednesday against Wavell State High School, the first of three-straight home games to start the season.

Coach Matt Jahnke is hoping an extended pre-season can prove the difference as St Mary’s begins its campaign.

REPLAY: WAVELL - 30 DEFEAT FOREST LAKE - 6 IN KEVIN WALTERS CUP

“The boys are really excited,” Jahnke said

“We started training in term four of last year so obviously this has been a long time coming.

“We identified that we needed to continue our work with strength and conditioning. There are some rather big sides in the competition so we want to match them in the strength department.

“We’ve done a lot of work on getting the boys working together and trying to be tight-knit for when they come under the pump.”

Xavier Va'a. Photo: Nev Madsen

Size has been something that the school has struggled to match of opposition teams in years past, but with a big forward pack led from the front by the Va’a brothers, Jahnke is confident that will turn around in 2021.

“The introduction of both the Va’a boys is big for us,” he said.

“I know Xavier and De La Salle are extremely keen to play alongside each other.

“Young Darcy Carswell was in the Darling Downs side, and he brings some experience and size.

“Wapu (Elara) is solid and we’re getting him through at the moment.”

With a tough few weeks to begin the competition, Jahnke recognises how important it is to get off to a good start.

“We play the two heavyweights in terms of Wavell and PBC, which will be a true indication of where we are at,” he said.

“We’re looking to cement ourselves in that top four as early as possible, and that’s been our goal since we’ve come together.

“We set standards for ourselves, whether that is strength and conditioning, executing or defence. All the boys are accountable and are aware of that. We’re doing what we can to make sure they become better players and better men each week.”

LANGER CUP FIXTURES

Rd 1 - vs Wavell SHS

Rd 2 - vs PB Currumbin

Rd 3 - vs Mabel Park

Rd 4 - at Keebra Park

Rd 5 - at Coombabah

Rd 6 - at Ipswich

Rd 7 - at Marsden

The Langer Trophy starts on Wednesday and you can view 150 livestream games across the state at www.thechronicle.com.au

Originally published as LANGER CUP: St Mary’s College employs size ahead of gruelling campaign