Live stream: Kirwan SHS take on Trinity Bay SHS in crucial Aaron Payne Cup showdown

Kirwan Bears locked in their Aaron Payne Cup semifinal place in style, running in eight tries to sink Cairns-based Pool A minnows Trinity Bay. Catch up on the REPLAYS.

The Kirwan Bears locked in their Aaron Payne Cup semi-final place with an emphatic 46-6 win over Cairns-based Pool A minnows Trinity Bay State High School.

The Bears were far too strong from the outset, running in eight tries during a rugby league masterclass to cement the school’s first-place finish in the schoolboy competition’s heavyweight division.

Kirwan will play Pool B winners St Augustine’s College next week when North Queensland’s top rugby league nurseries battle for the right to appear in the Phil Hall Cup final.

Newcastle Knights-signed backrower Wil Hope scored a hat-trick in his first game of 2024 as captain, with regular skipper Logan Brookes missing the clash.

Rising playmaker Riley Carbone was handed the starting No.7 jersey for the week and he kicked six goals to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

A late try from interchange forward Jake Russo gave the home fans something to cheer about but the defeat meant Trinity Bay had to bow out of the Aaron Payne Cup after a winless campaign.

TRINITY BAY: 6 (Jake Russo try; D’Artanyan Connolly goal)

KIRWAN: 46 (Kees Anderson, Jay Whaley, Wil Hope (3), Heath Bethel (2), Davidson Benioni tries; Riley Carbone (6), Kees Anderson goals)

Trinity Bay SHS v Kirwan SHS - Cowboys Challenge Round 6

COWBOYS CHALLENGE

A Kirwan backrower the spitting image of former Maroons colossus Dave Taylor scored the match-winning try on the last play to quash valiant Trinity Bay 30-20 in the final game of the Cowboys Challenge regular season.

Barry Brimelow is cut from the same rugged cloth as former Bronco, Rabbitoh and Titan Taylor, with broad shoulders and tree trunk legs that possess speed belying the young forward’s impressive physical dimensions.

Underdogs Trinity Bay had fought to keep pace with the runaway Cowboys Challenge favourites at every turn and scored with three minutes remaining on the clock to draw within six points of a momentous upset.

Enter Brimelow.

Defenders had bounced harmlessly off the rampaging backrower for a runaway try in the ninth minute and that dosage was repeated in the game’s final play as Brimelow completed his tryscoring double in style.

A tidy short ball from impressive five-eighth Trent Martin – who assisted on three of Kirwan’s six tries, and both of Brimelow’s – shot the backrower out of a cannon to draw the final curtain on the fixture.

Trinity Bay was a chance at the upset for 49 of 50 minutes of match play.

Hooker Travis Salam was ruthless in punishing inattentive marker defence, scoring two tries from close range.

Backrower Amaron Luki, the cousin of Cairns’ own Cowboys hero Heilum Luki, was also impressive with a try assist playmaking and several chopping one-on-one tackles.

Kirwan fullback Eru Gunn-James was a constant threat to defenders with his sharp footwork while powerful winger Clavarn Oth scored a try and created another when offloading inside for Gunn-James.

KIRWAN 30 (Clavarn Oth, Barry Brimelow 2, Eru Gunn-James, Leeroy Ahuriri, Nehemiah Tagaloa tries; Gunn-James 3 goals) def. TRINITY BAY 20 (Max Daly, Travis Salam 2, Jordan Maniot tries; Tyler Batten 2 goals)

PREVIEW

Kirwan isn’t taking Trinity Bay lightly as the schools prepare for their final regular season Aaron Payne Cup clash of 2024 on Wednesday.

Despite suffering just one loss through their campaign so far, the Bears were given a wake-up call last week when they were held to a 10-all draw by crosstown rivals Ignatius Park College.

That surprise result was enough for Kirwan’s officials to schedule an extra training session this week to make sure they entered finals in the best form.

Catch all the action LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV. It all kicks off with the Cowboys Challenge at 9.30am before the Aaron Payne Cup game at midday.

Check the latest Queensland Schoolboys LIVE STREAM schedule below.

Bears coach Todd Wilson said his side had learnt a lot from their stalemate with Iggy Park, and it would be important to be on song from the opening whistle.

“We took a lot out of last week. We actually added a training session in, so we’re prepared. We have to make sure we play well this week – we need to win,” Wilson said.

“Getting our start right is important and then maintaining that.

“The other thing is converting our opportunities. We had plenty of opportunities and couldn’t convert them so it’s around our execution.

Cohen Dittmann charges into the Trinity Bay defence earlier this year.

“We need to make the most of opportunities when we get them because in those tight games that don’t come around too often, you’ve got to nail those moments.”

If Kirwan can defeat the winless Trinity Bay boys, the Townsville school will book their place in a semi-final with Pool B winners St Augustine’s College.

Wilson said barnstorming centre Taakoi Benioni would resume his place on the right edge this week after an impressive round 5 showing.

“He hasn’t played much footy with the injuries, so any game time is going to help him,” Wilson said.

“He’ll improve his number of touches in the game and his match fitness as he goes. We want him to be more involved but that will come as he plays some more footy.”

Originally published as Live stream: Kirwan SHS take on Trinity Bay SHS in crucial Aaron Payne Cup showdown