Townsville Blackhawks Schoolboy Trophy: Season preview + fixtures
The Blackhawks Trophy kicks off on this week with new schools joining the rugby league competition. Find out everything you need to know including season highlights and every fixture.
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The Townsville Blackhawks Schoolboy Trophy kicks off on Tuesday, giving students at schools a rung below the Aaron Payne Cup a chance to play in a high-level rugby league competition.
The competition is made up of many of the region’s independent schools and was a popular addition to Townsville’s rugby league landscape when it launched last year.
The premiers of the Blackhawks Trophy will qualify through to the next stage of the statewide NRL Trophy schoolboy rugby league competition.
Columba Catholic College were crowned local winners in 2023 and went on to become state champions in the NRL Trophy final with a 26-14 grand final victory over Hervey Bay’s Xavier Catholic College.
The competition was also great exposure for Columba’s Assariah Lenoy and Mathias Santo-Hero who both signed NRL contracts in 2023 after starring for their school.
This year’s opens competition welcomes northern newcomers Gilroy Santa Maria College, while Ingham State High School also joins the under-15s competition.
The three famous Towers rugby league nurseries – Columba Catholic College, All Souls St Gabriel’s and Blackheath and Thornburgh College – are back for 2024 and are predicted to be the frontrunners for a top-two finish.
After reviewing their 2024 campaign and how rugby league is delivered at the college, Ryan Catholic College have implemented some fresh new changes to their program with the aim of establishing sustained success.
The program now kicks off in the newly established under-11-13s Academy and will have a defined pathway towards representing the college in their opens’ First XIII team.
“By standardising what is delivered in both a football core skills and discipline sense across the year 5/6, under-13, under-15 and opens teams, we are no longer leaving our annual performances in the older age groups to chance and will hopefully see sustained success on and off the field for many years to come,” said Ryan’s opens’ coach Annan Whittington.
“We are really excited about what we can achieve (in opens), as the core group of young players we selected in 2023 all now move into year 11, and the experience of competing with older opposition in 2023 is sure to make a difference in our results this season.
“The boys have an added incentive to compete and get better each week with the 2024 Confraternity Carnival utilising our fields and essentially allowing us to play home games at the carnival in front of old boys, friends and family.”
The annual Anzac Round will once again be a feature of the competition with matches played on April 24 and 25.
Traditional Anzac Round opponents Blackheath and Thornburgh College and All Souls St Gabriel’s School will continue years of tradition and rivalry by playing on Anzac Day, while Southern Cross Catholic College will host Ryan Catholic College across under-13, under-15, girls’ and opens’ First XIII on April 24.
The under-15s competition has been split into eastern and western pools. The western pool includes Columba Catholic College and fellow Charter Towers schools All Souls St Gabriel’s School and Blackheath and Thornburgh College.
New inclusions Ingham State High School and Gilroy Santa Maria College join Townsville schools Ryan Catholic College and Southern Cross Catholic College in the eastern pool.
The Bulletin will be closely following this competition with in-depth coverage, photo galleries and updates on all of the games throughout the season and finals.
The expanded rugby league competition will be played in a traditional home and away format and will provide the schools involved with the perfect preparation for the annual QISSRL Confraternity Carnival which will be hosted by Ignatius Park College (at Jack Manski Oval and Ryan Catholic College fields) in 2024.
2024 SEASON FIXTURES
SPLIT ROUND
Week starting Monday March 18 (Term 1, Week 9)
Rd 1 Tuesday March 19 – GSMC v CCC – Ryan Catholic College – 4pm
Rd 3 Tuesday March 19 – ASSG v SCCC – All Souls St Gabriel’s School – 4pm
Rd 4 Wednesday March 20 – BTC v RCC – Blackheath Thornburgh College – 4pm
ROUND 1
Week starting Monday April 22 (Term 2, Week 2)
Rd 1 Thursday April 25 – ASSG v BTC – All Souls St Gabriel’s, kick off TBC
Rd 1 Wednesday April 24 – SCCC v RCC at Bindal Sports Ground (13s, 15s, Opens), kick off TBC
Rd 1 Split Round played in Term 1 GSMC v CCC
ROUND 2
Week starting Monday April 29 (Term 2, Week 3)
Rd 2 Tuesday April 30 – GSMC v BTC – Bindal Sports Ground – 4pm
Rd 2 Tuesday April 30 – RCC v ASSG – Ryan Catholic College – 4pm
CCC – Bye
ROUND 3
Week starting Monday May 6 (Term 2, Week 4)
Rd 3 Wednesday May 8 – GSMC v RCC – Gilroy Santa Maria College – 4pm (15s & Opens played simultaneously)
Rd 3 Wednesday May 8 – BTC v CCC – Blackheath & Thornburgh – 4pm
Rd 3 Split Round played in Term 1 SCCC v ASSG
ROUND 4
Week starting Monday May 13 (Term 2, Week 5)
Rd 4 Tuesday May 14 – GSMC v ASSG – Bindal Sports Ground – 4pm*
Rd 4 Tuesday May 14 – SCCC v CCC – Bindal Sports Ground – 5.15pm*
Rd 4 Split Round played in Term 1 BTC v RCC
ROUND 5
Week starting Monday May 20 (Term 2, Week 6)
Rd 5 Tuesday May 21 – SCCC v BTC – Bindal Sports Ground – 4pm
Rd 5 Tuesday May 21 – CCC v ASSG – Columba Catholic College – 4pm
GSMC – Bye
RCC Opens – Bye
ROUND 6
Week starting Monday May 27 (Term 2, Week 7)
Rd 6 Tuesday May 28 – RCC v CCC – Ryan Catholic College – 4pm
Rd 6 Tuesday May 28 – GSMC v SCCC – Gilroy Santa Maria College – 3.30pm 15s & 4.30pm 1st XIII
ASSG – Bye
BTC – Bye
NQISSRL Blackhawks Schoolboy Trophy Grand Final Day
Tuesday June 4 (Term 2, Week 8)
GF – U15s – Eastern 1st v Western 1st
GF – 1st XIII – 1st v 2nd
Venue TBC
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Originally published as Townsville Blackhawks Schoolboy Trophy: Season preview + fixtures
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