Live stream: Patrician Brothers Blacktown v Matraville Sports High, Peter Mulholland Cup, Round 1
Patrician Brothers captain Jacob Halangahu has admitted his side was ‘rusty’ despite starting the Schoolboys Cup with a resounding 50-0 win over Matraville. Watch the REPLAYS.
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Patrician Brothers, Blacktown, have staked their claim as an early front-runner in this year’s Peter Mulholland Cup with a dominant 50-0 season-opening win over Matraville Sports High.
Victory was never in doubt for Patrician Brothers, who’s try within the first two minutes set up a dominant 22-point first half with four tries along with two which were disallowed.
Despite racking up an unanswered half-century on the scoreboard, new Pats captain Jacob Halangahu said his team were ‘a bit rusty’.
“Being the first game of the year, it was always going to be a bit rusty,” Halangahu said.
“But it was good to get the cobwebs out of the game.”
Pats were physically a much stronger team compared to a Matraville side made up mostly of 15-16 year olds.
They were also extremely dangerous off the counter-attack, with a number of their tries coming straight off a turnover down the other end of the field.
Halangahu was among the try scorers while five-eighth Jared Haywood and winger Jack Nicholas each picked up a double.
Haywood and halves partner Jhett Sydir, who are into their second Schoolboys Cup season together, pulled the strings of what was a brilliant attacking display.
Sydir scored one of his own, while he put the finishing touches on the win with a sensational long-ball to send Nicholas into the corner to bring up the half-century on the final siren.
Patrician Brothers students packed the ground to watch their school’s success and Halangahu said the boys were keen to put on a show.
“Being at home in front of our home crowd was just kind of a gritty game,” he said.
“In front of that crowd, we just wanted to give back to our school.”
Pats now face a tough opposition in rivals Patrician Brothers, Fairfield, and Halangahu said all focus is now on next week.
“It’s definitely going to go down to the wire,” Halangahu said.
“Especially being another Patrician Brothers school, it’s going to be a tough, bragging rights game.”
PATRICIAN BROTHERS BLACKTOWN 50 (Jared Haywood 2, Jack Nicholas 2, Jacob Halangahu, Jhett Sydir, Roman Tuaimau, AJ Johannson tries; Sydir 7 goals)
PREVIEW
He is the rugby league ‘cheat code’ set to break open the Peter Mulholland Cup.
Patrician Brothers Blacktown backrower Jacob Halangahu will enter his third season in the top tier schoolboys competition when last year’s grand finalists take on Matraville Sports High on Tuesday.
Watch the clash live and exclusive on KommunityTV on Tuesday as part of our full-season coverage of the NRL Schoolboys Cup.
For the Dragons-contracted youngster, who takes over the captaincy of Patties this season, it is a chance to continue his golden run over the past 12 months.
It is an incredible period of sustained success which includes an Australian Schoolboys selection, a SG Ball Cup premiership with the Red V and a win in the annual NSW Under-18s City-Country showdown.
The hardworking backrower was named MVP in both the SG Ball final and City-Country clash.
“I think he just keeps getting better and better every time he takes the field,” Patrician Brothers coach Noah Meares said. “It has been a phenomenal year for him.
“It is not often you have someone like that, who is well rounded across the whole skillset but still has that X-Factor. He is a genuine edge backrower with a great running game but also his ball skills are supreme for the position. He also just has that want to be involved in everything and win everything.
“It makes him a force to be reckoned with.”
While everything the bullocking backrower has touched has turned to gold in the past 12 months, Meares is hoping some of that success can rub off the Patrician Brothers side.
The school has lost several key senior leaders including Wilson de Courcey and Finau Latu in the off-season, but has brought in a couple of genuine excitement machines from their younger age group.
Patrician Brothers will open the season with a ‘bit of the unknown’, up against Matraville Sports High, a school they have not faced in more than a decade due to the old Schoolboys Cup structure.
Meares said his side wouldn’t take them lightly especially after Central Coast Sports College shocked the Schoolboys Cup by knocking off reigning national champions Westfields last week.
“We don’t know what they have or the makeup of their team,” Meares said.
“I have coached my team to focus on the team as a whole and treat every opposition player with the same level of respect. When you start focusing on specific players, and worrying about specific plays, you can lose focus on other key areas.
“It has certainly been a big change to the competition this season, one that has already proven to be a good change.”
TEAM LISTS
Patrician Brothers Blacktown
1. Harrison Bull, 2. Chas Riddle, 3. Fine Fale, 4. Andes ‘AJ’ Johannson, 5. Jack Nicholas, 6. Jared Heywood, 7. Jhett Sydir, 8. Charbel Kheirallah, 9. Lachlan Coinakis, 10. Alex Futialo, 11. Jacob Halangahu, 12. Byron Laupepa, 13. Tyson Sanaglang, 14. Cameron Bamblett, 15. Massimo Maestrale, 16. Roman Tuaimau, 17. Christian Taupau-Moors, 18. Nathaniel Tolu, 19. Leo Latu, 20. Kodi Ellia. Coach: Noah Meares
Matraville Sport College
1. Tighe Rowley, 2. Sean MCLaughlin, 3. Dennis Taukafa, 4. Robert Simms, 5. Benjamin Lawrence, 6. Clayton McGgoon, 7. Jimmy Davies, 8. Phillip Lauakeiaho, 9. Koriy Taaffe, 10. Kye Walker, 12. Jayden Rooke, 13. John Van Der Walle, 14. Harry Bickhoff, 15. Hussein El Makdad, 16. Jason Fonokalafi, 17. Tanner Shears, 18. Jai Maui
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