WATCH THE REPLAYS: All four Langer and Walters Cup semi-finals
The 2020 Langer Cup grand final will be an all Gold Coast affair after a Tom Weaver-Ryan Rivett-inspired Palm Beach Currumbin went past a gallant Ipswich tonight by 34-6. PBC will now confront Keebra Park in the decider. WATCH THE REPLAYS.
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PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN v IPSWICH SHS
The 2020 Langer Cup grand final will be an all Gold Coast affair after a Tom Weaver-Ryan Rivett inspired Palm Beach Currumbin SHS went past a gallant Ipswich SHS tonight by 34-6.
PBC will now confront Keebra Park whose flash of form against Wavell SHS in the earlier game will send shivers down the spine of their opponents next Wednesday.
It was one almighty semi-final, worthy of a grand final.
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But in a match featuring a wonderful forward contest, ultimately it was the deft touches of PBC halves Ryan Rivett and Tom Weaver which proved decisive.
“They were really good our halves’’ said PBC coach Brad Davis.
“But that came on the back of a lot of hard work.
“Ipswich really challenged us, they were really physical in defence and they were running really hard.
“For us it took a lot of effort on effort to really get on top of them.
“Having said that, what a preparation, a good, tough finals win.’’
PBC halfback Weaver was like a drovers dog, never far from the action and on hand to provide the final pass for his team’s first three tries.
Rivett’s lovely short kicking game into the second half constantly turned Ipswich around and was the sign of a calm, even-tempered player deflecting the pressure of a clutch final.
Rivett also scored a fine individual try to wrap up the match with 13 minutes remaining.
Ipswich SHS were hard to break down, my heavens they were.
They abandoned the dressing rooms at halftime, instead preferring the earthy surrounds of Langlands Park and stayed out on the battlefield for the address from their coach Joshua Bretherton.
PBC kept them waiting for the restart, but when the whistle blew for the second half it was on for young and old.
In the end it was a clever, controlled kicking game from Rivett which generated pressure that ultimately led to Weaver putting Deine Mariner over and his side into the lead 16-6.
Then came Rivett’s individual try and trailing 22-6 with 12 minutes to play, Ipswich SHS were bailing water, and late in the game a try for Reef Sommerville off Rivett.
First half
Palm Beach Currumbin seized the halftime lead 10-6 with some wonderful halfback play from Tom Weaver.
Weaver lobbed a ball into a gap for his fullback Jaylan De Groot who latched onto the pass and then cut back on the inside to score in stylish fashion.
But it was anyone’s game. With thunderous tackles midway through the first half by Ipswich SHS props Elijuwhon Suavai and Josiah Pahulu, Ipswich announced they had come to play.
In easily the best of the four matches on the day, both teams went too and fro in the middle of the paddock after conceding early tries on the flanks.
The PBC and Ipswich wingers traded tries in the opening nine minutes with Troy Duckett (PBC) and Caleb Jackson (Ipswich) scoring.
Many years ago Langlands Park was home to a Tigers legend called Wayne Lindenberg and with a twist of his hips and a flick of his wrists, halfback Weaver channelled Lindenberg with a magnificent face ball to create try No. 1 for PBC’s Duckett.
Duckett is quick, but the ball was so good from Weaver, Duckett only had to fall over the line to score.
However the Ipswich SHS reply was swift and to the point, with Jackson latching onto a pass from his centre Dejoin Leugaimafa.
Lachlan Williamson then gave Ipswich SHS an unexpected lead given PBC’s start, nailing the sideline conversion.
Ipswich SHS would have extended its lead even further had PBC prop Jack Cullen not covered the inside step of Ipswich halfback Williamson who was an inch from scoring beneath the posts.
Scores: PBC 34 (T Ujdur-Berghan, R Sommerville, R Rivett T Duckett J DeGroot, D Mariner tries; T Weaver 5 goals) def Ipswich 6 (C Jackson try, L Williamson goal)
REPLAY: KEEBRA PARK V WAVELL IN LANGER CUP:
5.32pm: A Levi Jones hat-trick has launched Keebra Park into the Langer Cup final with a 32-8 win over Wavell State High School.
Keebra vanquished the demons of their seven-try defeat to Wavell in Round One by holding the Brisbane school to just eight points in their semi-final rematch.
Keebra’s lethal left edge, starring Jones, second-rower Kobe Wood, centre Jahream Bula and chiming fullback Tuvalli Khan-Pereira dismantled the Langer Cup’s top defensive side for four tries.
Right winger Trey Peni sealed the match in the 45th minute before Klese Haas rubbed salt in Wavell’s wounds with his 61st minute score to blow out the scoreline to 32-4.
Wavell’s Langer Cup drought will extend into its sixth year.
Victorious coach Glen Campbell said he was most impressed by how well Keebra Park executed its game plan.
“It’s been coming,” Campbell said.
“We’ve seen through our season that we’ve played some very good football for short periods and then we drifted away.
“We have plenty of points in us and if we defend well … the plan is to do that again because we’re not coming to play second.”
Keebra’s all-out attack was on show from the beginning as a sweeping backline movement saw Khan-Pereira put Levi Jones over for his first try in the 16th minute.
Wavell responded with a try to Junior Taungataua which was rubbed out by the match referee for an illegal strip.
Keebra marched upfield and scored with an identical movement, Khan-Pereira again passing to find Levi Jones for space in the lefthand corner in the 22nd minute.
Keebra’s Titans-contracted centre Bula broke through the line for a fine solo try to take his side into an 18-4 lead at the break.
The pressure was maintained into the second half when Jones crossed for his third, followed closely by tries on the right edge to Peni and Haas.
Two players were sent from the field in the final 10 minutes after a high-tackle on Wavell sparked a fracas and Wavell scored their second try in consolation in the aftermath.
WAVELL SHS v PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN SHS, Walters Cup:
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS climbed over Wavell SHS 18-14 in a sensational Walters Cup semi-final thriller at Langlands Park this afternoon.
PBC SHS will now play Marsden SHS in next Wednesday’s decider at 4pm after Marsden got the job done - albeit only just - against Keebra SHS (see below).
In a seesawing affair, Wavell SHS had the early running, only to twice fall behind in the second half before succumbing by four points.
In a breathtaking finish, Wavell almost snatched the game after the full time siren when big centre Amos Tuialli scattered the defence like ten pins.
But his pass inside went astray with the tryline beckoning and the chance was lost.
Earlier a sensational solo try from Wavell SHS second rower Tom Lunney enabled his side to recapture the lead with 13 minutes remaining, only for PBC hooker Tanu Nona to put his side back in front with a burrowing four pointer nine minutes from time.
Nona’s try, and Cooper Cambey’s successful conversion, set-up a grandstand finish. PBC halves Bailey McConnell and Jakeem Thompson came into their own in the second half, asking questions of Wavell around the ruck with some probing runs, passes and short kicks.
It was the result of a McConnell grubber kick that enabled PBC fullback Jett Forbes to score not long after halftime.
Forbes was able to scoop up a ball that had rebounded off the legs of a Wavell opponent and skip over the score next to the posts. Cambey’s conversion lifted PBC to a 12-8 advantage.
Then came Lunney’s fantastic solo run to put Wavell SHS back in front, behind PBC were able to finish off the match.
Nona was also outstanding in PBC’s second half performance, giving his side plenty of run out of dummy half while also bringing his forwards onto the ball nicely.
First half
Wavell SHS started strongly with hulking prop Damascus Neemia accepting crash ball close to the line to power over after just five minutes.
Wavell SHS were in again soon after, this time after a lovely backline spread which saw halves Lotu Salei and Karl Oloapu offer possession to centre Amos Tuialli who calmly gave his winger Karl Oloapu a clear run to the line from 15m out.
Trailing 8-0, PBC gained some territorial parity and endeavoured to play the match away from the ruck and moving the Wavell forwards around.
PBC’s campaign then received a tremendous boost when prop Caleb Temomo scored an opportunist try after he accepted the rebound following a grubber kick from his hooker Tanu Nona.
Wavell SHS impact forward Bristowe Murray made his presence felt leading up to halftime with a crashing run. And then soon after he scored what appeared a try, but the referee called a forward pass.
Scores: PBC 18 (T Nona, J Forbes, C Temomo; C Cambey 3 conv) d Wavell 14 (T Lunney D Neemia, S Platt; L Salei conv)
MARSDEN SHS v KEEBRA SHS
2.49PM: Marsden State High School have advanced to the Walters Cup grand final after a thrilling 14-12 victory over Keebra Park State High.
Marsden went 100 metres to score both of their first half tries but a second half double to Keebra forward Arama Hau could have sent the game to a Golden Point decider.
A missed conversion with a minute to go preserved the narrow lead for Marsden and guaranteed their passage to the Year 10 decider next week.
A second half penalty goal to halfback Cody Hamilton, the younger brother of Souths Logan five-eighth Guy, proved the difference.
Keebra Park dominated the physicality stakes early with booming middle forwards Salaso’o Soi and PJ Poutasi making their presence felt from the opening hit-up.
Marsden couldn’t hang on to the imposing Gold Coast forward pack when lock Poutasi blasted through a would-be tackler to dash 40 metres and fend off the fullback to score.
Marsden were truly on the back foot when fullback Luke Bossons conjured up a 102 metre strike against the run of play.
A threatening grubber into the in-goal looked certain to force a repeat set when Bossons sprinted clear to the halfway, linking with interchange hooker William Semu to even scores at 4-all.
Keebra worked their way back into try-scoring position with a minute remaining in the half but threw their chance away through an inaccurate pass on the goal line.
Marsden marched upfield and scored on the stroke of halftime through centre Solomon Anu for an 8-4 lead at the break.
Marsden survived two knock-ons inside their territory by forcing turnovers on their own.
Their defensive fortitude was rewarded in the 34th minute when an accidental offside saw halfback Cody Hamilton step up for his first successful goal, 10-4.
Marsden winger AJ Nanai’s impression of Israel Folau was awarded four points when he rose high to claim a Hamilton bomb for the 10-point lead with 12 minutes to play.
Keebra edge forward Arama Hau wrestled free from four defenders to score on the left wing to bring his side back within six.
A Zin Zan Kau 40/20 kick swung Keebra back into range for Hau’s second try and a chance to bring about golden point.
Fullback Te Haeta Takamore was unable to convert and Marsden State High advanced to the Walters Cup final.
MARSDEN STATE HIGH 14 (William Semu, Solomon Anu, AJ Nanai tries; Cody Hamilton (1/3) conversions, Hamilton (1/1) penalty) d. KEEBRA PARK STATE HIGH 12 (PJ Poutasi, Arama Hau (2) tries; Jack Hudson (0/1), Te Haeta Takamore (0/2) conversions)
EARLIER
Langer Cup and Walters Cup semi-final time has arrived and you can watch all the action live from Langlands Park today.
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Wavell SHS and PBC will aim to cap fantastic preliminary round form by winning places in the Langer Cup decider.
WATCH THE REPLAYS:
KIRWAN V ST PATS IN AARON PAYNE CUP SEMI-FINALS
THE LANGER/WALTERS CUP SEMI-FINALS
WEDNESDAY
1.30pm: Walters Cup
Marsden SHS v Keebra Park SHS
2.45pm: Walters Cup
Wavell SHS v Palm Beach Currumbin SHS
4.00pm: Langer Cup
Wavell SHS v Keebra Park SHS
5.15pm: Langer Cup
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS v Ipswich SHS
*all games will be livestreamed in the video player above*