Determined second half guides St Mary’s to Langer Cup

ST Mary’s College fended off a charge from Coombabah SHS to book its spot in the prestigious Langer Cup.

Angus Wright scores a try for St Mary's. Photo: Nev Madsen

RUGBY LEAGUE: A dogged second half has propelled St Mary's College into the 2020 Langer Cup.

Leading by 18 at one stage, the St Mary's lead dwindled to just two points at Toowoomba Sports Ground, before a late surge saw them prevail 36-18 in the qualifying match.

Fullback Keanu Wright-Dunrobin starred for the home side, with a try and two try assists, with captain Xavier Va'a unstoppable in the middle of the field.

"It was intense and tiring to say the least, but the boys worked hard and we got the win," Wright-Dunrobin said.

"We're back."

Despite a shaky start characterised by a couple of loose carries, St Mary's quickly regained its composure to gain the early ascendancy.

A deft grubber kick close to the line from Blake Moore was grounded by Wright-Dunrobin in the 6th minute.

Va'a carried defenders from the first hit-up after the kick-off, setting the tone for another deep attack in Coombabah territory.

Halfback Brayden Paix proved unstoppable one off the ruck, stepping his way to the scoreline and a 12-0 scoreline after just 10 minutes.

The visitors started to work their way into the contest and build pressure of their own, but St Mary's held solid, and once again struck as Shaun Packer burrowed his way over from dummy half.

Penalties and dropped balls kept Coombabah camped on St Mary's line, and the pressure finally told, with two late tries to close out the half at 18-12 down.

St Mary's looked to have their opponents pinned down in their own half, before a quick play the ball and second phase play saw the visitors cross again, cutting the deficit to two with 22 minutes remaining.

A mounting penalty count against St Mary's began to take its toll, with another infringement directly in front of the posts levelling scores in the 46th minute.

Tyson Stevens produced a game-changing hit from the ensuing kick-off forced an error, and a grubber from Moore forced a repeat set as St Mary's began to build pressure of their own.

The extra set was all they needed, as Wright-Dunrobin double pumped to perfection, putting Angus Wright over to put them ahead 24-18.

As they took over the running of the contest, Va'a put the result beyond doubt with a charging run close to the line, crossing to give them a 12-point lead with six minutes remaining.

Fatigue started to set in with Coombabah as they piggybacked St Mary's down the field, with Wright-Dunrobin linking with Wright again for his second of the afternoon.

ST MARY'S COLLEGE 36 (Angus Wright 2, Keanu Wright-Dunrobin, Shaun Packer, Brayden Paix, Xavier Va'a tries; Paix 6 goals) defeated COOMBABAH STATE HIGH SCHOOL 18

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