Marist College Ashgrove have lost their stranglehold on the AIC
Marist College Ashgrove have lost their mortgage on the AIC First XV rugby crown, as the other schools fight for supremacy in a hotly contested competition. Read the season preview here.
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Marist College Ashgrove have lost their mortgage on the AIC First XV rugby crown.
While the 12-time premiers will enter 2019 as rightful favourites, Iona College and St Patrick’s College showed how the gap has closed with last year’s historic three-way premiership.
The most hotly contested rugby season in AIC history? Maybe.
All eight AIC schools have won premierships in the past 11 seasons which demonstrates both talent clusters in certain years but also schools making the most of momentum.
The Marist juggernaut earned four titles in the past decade, though three of those premierships were joint crowns.
In that time frame, Villanova College (2010), St Peters Lutheran College (2012), Iona College (2013), St Edmund’s College (2014), Padua College (2015-16) and Ashgrove (2017) recorded undefeated seasons to add to their rugby legacy.
St Laurence’s College last tasted premiership success in 2008 but are off to a fine start with last Saturday’s 17-10 win over St Pats at Curlew Park.
Last season saw Marist, Iona and St Pats in a three-way tie with Villanova not far behind.
It will be intriguing to judge whether Iona can sustain their level after claiming the aggregate rugby crown in 2018, the first time Marist has not held the overall title of strongest AIC rugby school.
Can the boys from Ashgrove win a historic 13th crown? How high can Saints and Villa climb? Will Padua recapture the form that saw them go back-to-back in 2015-16? Can Lauries, after an emphatic Ballymore Cup success over Iona, and Eddies rise to challenge the field?
Lauries demonstrated their major improvement with last Saturday’s opener to a disjointed first round which will be played over four different days because of a clunky representative season.
Lauries hooker Angus Sawtell looked to be making up for his lost 2018 season when an ankle injury wiped out his First XV season.
He mauled his way over for a try and two trumps who stood up in the Ballymore Cup final did again through strapping No.9 John Bryant, fullback Christian Torluccio and big-stepping winger Enrique Umana.
This season is an exciting prospect for rugby fans, particularly when one considers AIC’s graduating pedigree.
Standout Wallabies John Eales, Daniel Herbert, Brendan Moon, David L’Estrange and Des Connor are Marist old boys, Villa products Andrew Slack and Ben Mowen captained Australia and Brendan Cannon, Mark Connors and Dan Crowley rank among Lauries’ finest sons.
Drew Mitchell (St Pats), James Stannard (Eddies) and current Super Rugby players Ed Quirk and Brad Wilkin (Iona) are more recent products of the AIC system while Dylan Napa (St Pats) and Cooper Cronk (Lauries) are superstars in the NRL.
*The Courier-Mail sports journalists Jim Tucker and Lachlan Grey plus Quest Newspapers sports writer Andrew Dawson will profile each school and provide coverage throughout the season
AIC RUGBY ROUND ONE
St Laurence’s College 17 bt St Patrick’s College 10
Tuesday, April 30
St Peters Lutheran College v Marist College Ashgrove, Mayer Oval, 4pm
Saturday, May 4
Iona College v Padua College, Davine Oval, 2pm
Tuesday, May 7
St Edmund’s College v Villanova College, Mulkerin Oval, not before 3pm
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