WATCH REPLAYS: Keebra SHS v St Mary’s in the Langer Trophy
Recap all the action from Keebra Park’s Walters Cup and Langer Trophy matches against Forest Lake and St Mary’s respectively. WATCH THE REPLAYS >>>
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IT WAS all one-way traffic at Owen Park on Wednesday afternoon as Keebra Park reaffirmed its Langer Trophy title credentials with a dominant display over St Mary’s.
St Mary’s had impressed in previous Langer Trophy outings while traditional competition heavyweights Keebra had failed to properly fire prior to the month-long mid-season break.
That all changed at Southport as the Gold Coast school ran in seven tries to St Mary’s one, for a 48-6 win.
Star rake Blake Mozer got Keebra rolling from the get-go with a darting run from dummy half to open up the St Mary’s defence.
A kick from halfback Connor Te Kani followed and Keebra forced the early repeat set, off of which the Coast school made the breakthrough when centre Nella Lotaki crashed over on the left for first points.
The good start became even better for Keebra when Mozer again split the defence running off the hip of his forward to run over under the posts and double the early advantage.
A stunned St Mary’s was left reeling minutes later when Mozer was over for his second.
A Cooper Maytom bomb to the right edge was fielded by winger Levi Jones, who rose high above his St Mary’s rival to pull down a stunning catch. Jones got to his feet and throws a wild pass inside to Mozer who is able to control and run the short distance to the posts for Keebra’s third.
Needing a response St Mary’s found it in its fleet of foot five-eighth, who with a two-step show-and-go split the Keebra line and brought about first points for the Toowoomba school.
Finally with a foothold in the contest, St Mary’s started to stick tackles and make its presence felt after the early Keebra onslaught.
The battle through the middle evened out as the first half wore on, but Keebra’s playmakers proved the point of difference.
A great shifting play involving Mozer and Te Kani found the hands of Del Wigmore, and with a devastating stiff arm the back-rower powered his way over the line on the left to extended the lead back out to 18 points.
St Mary’s ill-discipline in the tackle continued to take a toll on the Toowoomba travellers, with regular piggybacks up the ground helping the Keebra cause.
Off the back of a trademark barnstorming run for big name Keebra back-rower Seth Nikotemo the Coast school looked to be in again not long after, but for a dropped ball at the line letting a reeling St Mary’s off the hook.
An odd combination of sideways runs from Keebra backs Tawera Toia and Levi Jones led to a St Mary’s turnover deep in attack, but the Toowoomba school lost the ball two plays later and a guilt-edged opportunity to hit back went begging.
A final foray forward for St Mary’s gathered momentum when Keebra fullback Tawera Toia was bungled out for a dropout, but the referee simultaneously blows for halftime and the Gold Coast hosts took an 18-point lead into the break.
Keebra Park continued its attacking momentum to open the second stanza and looked to have scored again when Deontae Perese dived onto a grubber in the in-goal.
But he was adjudged to have knocked it on and, again, St Mary’s got a reprieve.
Perese would not be denied a second time, though, as he ran onto a pass and hit the same spot his previous attempt was blown dead to extend Keebra’s lead out to four possessions.
That soon became five as Lotaki bashed and crashed his way down the left edge to bag his double, continuing Keebra’s onslaught of pain.
When Keebra prop Herman Tofaeono crashed over for his side’s seventh try of the afternoon it sparked a brief war of words between Mozer and his St Mary’s counterpart.
That exchange only served to spur Keebra on further and when Jones crossed for his first of the afternoon it was well and truly party time for the boys in blue and maroon.
With a vicious fend to the chest, Nikotemo was next to cross for Keebra who showed little desire to slow down as the clock ticked close to full-time.
Earlier, Keebra Park cruised to a 66-4 win over Forest Lake in the Walters Cup.
Keebra Park 48 (B. Mozer 2, N. Lotaki 2, D. Wigmore, D. Perese, H. Tofaeono, L. Jones, S. Nikotemo tries; goals C. Maytom 6/9) v St Mary’s 6 (#6 tries; #7 1/1 goals) at Owen Park, Southport
*NB: St Mary’s did not supply a team sheet.
EARLIER: Keebra wins race for sought-after Auckland schoolboys star
Nic Darveniza
KEEBRA Park won the race for southeast Queensland’s most in-demand schoolboy with a bare bones sales pitch that left rivals in its dust.
Auckland schoolboy prop Immanuel Kalekale, a cousin of Maroons prop Moeaki Fotuaika, travelled to the Gold Coast for a trial period with the Titans in October last year but cancelled his plans to return home after wowing coaches to earn a two-year development contract.
The Courier-Mail, Gold Coast Bulletin and News Corp Australia affiliates are live-streaming the Langer Trophy, Walters Cup and Langer Reserves games. That is at least 10-12 games each round – plus access to the Payne Cup while unlocking access to the best News’ sites across Australia.
WATCH KEEBRA V ST MARY’S AND FOREST LAKE IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Kalekale toured three schools before deciding on Keebra Park.
“I had to choose between Ipswich, Marsden and Keebra,” the front rower said.
“Ipswich said ‘Come here and you’ve already got a spot,’ but I wanted to challenge myself.
“Marsden’s coach was showing me all the facilities like ‘We have this and we have that.’
“Then I met Glen Campbell (Keebra Park).”
Campebll’s simple pitch won Kalekale over immediately.
“He was just straight-up with me,” the teenager explained.
“He said they didn’t have the equipment but they worked hard and I could check out their results myself.
“That’s what changed my mind (to attend Keebra).
“It reminded me of back home, at my old school.”
Fellow Titans Arama Hau and Seth Nikotemo have taken the Auckland schoolboy under their wing to forge one of the Langer Trophy’s top forward packs.
Kalekale’s decision has paid dividends for Keebra already with a 2-1 record after three matches.
Kalekale moved in with a cousin in Coomera during his Titans trial and will now complete his education at Keebra Park, with his Titans deal set to expire upon graduation.
Impressing Titans recruitment manager Ezra Howe to earn an extension is Kalekale’s top priority to help support his family of 10 back home.
Kalekale is the third-youngest of eight children.
“They’re my why,” he said.
“It was a tough decision to leave my family but they’re keeping me grounded.”
Keebra play St Mary’s at 3.30 in a match livestreamed on the Bulletin website.
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Originally published as WATCH REPLAYS: Keebra SHS v St Mary’s in the Langer Trophy
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