2025 Confraternity Carnival: Day 1 highlights from Rockhampton
The opening day of the schools rugby league carnival in Rockhampton delivered a scoreless thriller, a triumphant return to competition for one team and some impressive individual points tallies. Check out the highlights here.
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Two competition heavyweights could not be separated in a physical showdown on Day 1 of the Confraternity Carnival in Rockhampton.
Reigning champions Ignatius Park and 2023 winners St Brendan’s shared the points after the seesawing contest ended in a nil-all draw on Monday.
Both teams were brilliant in defence, with coaches Will Jack (Ignatius Park) and Scott Minto (St Brendan’s) praising the relentless efforts of their respective teams.
“It was tough but we were probably our own worst enemy,”Jack said.
“Our errors and a bit of ill-discipline probably let us down, which was disappointing, but the boys defensively were really good.
“They stuck together, which is the foundation of a successful footy carnival.”
Minto, too, said he was impressed with how his players “aimed up”.
“The boys fared quite well but they just didn’t execute those last passes so we just need to do that a little better,” he said.
Lock Jake Symes was a standout, breaking the defensive line and pulling off some big hits, while Noah Wright impressed on his switch from wing to fullback.
Jack said Ignatius Park’s outside backs led the way.
Centre Solomon Terare produced a blistering performance, well supported by wingers Brodie Pritchard and Jerry Mipari.
Both Ignatius Park and St Brendan’s scored comfortable wins in their second games of the day.
Terare scored a double in Ignatius Park’s 30-4 win over Aquinas College, while St Brendan’s got up 26-8 against Marist College, Ashgrove.
A record 72 teams are contesting the four boys and two girls divisions at Queensland Independent Secondary School Rugby League’s annual event.
Games are being played at three venues - Kettle Park, Saleyards Park and the host school The Cathedral College.
As well as Ignatius Park and St Brendan’s, three other open boys teams remain unbeaten.
TCC, playing before large home crowds, and St Patrick’s College, Mackay, won their two pool matches, as did Padua College, Kedron, which is playing its first league matches after winning the First XV rugby union title in the Associated Independent Colleges competition in Brisbane.
In the girls division, it was two former Confro champions in St Pat’s Mackay and TCC who emerged as favourites after winning both their pool matches on Monday.
They have battled out the last two finals, with TCC winning in 2023 and St Pat’s victorious in 2024.
St Pat’s College rolled past Townsville’s St Margaret Mary’s College 18-0 before edging Rockhampton’s Emmaus College 10-nil.
TCC beat Rockhampton Grammar 26-nil after an 18-10 win over emerging power St James’ College, Spring Hill.
In Division 2 girls, newcomers St Patrick’s College, Townsville, were unbeaten, along with St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba.
Meanwhile, there are six teams unbeaten in the Division 2 boys - St Edmund’s College, Ipswich; Villanova College, Coorparoo; St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie; St Columban’s College, Caboolture; St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane; and Clairvaux MacKillop College, Upper Mount Gravatt.
In Division 3, five teams were unbeaten: St Patrick’s College, Gympie; St John’s College, Nambour; Ryan Catholic College, Townsville; Unity College, Caloundra West; and McAuley College, Beaudesert.
Division 4 was held for the first time in carnival history with Good Counsel College, Innisfail, and Trinity College, Beenleigh, winning both their games.
Marymount holds off Grammar
The highly fancied Marymount College open girls held off a spirited Rockhampton Grammar to kick-start their campaign with a victory.
Winger Tara Sullivan scored what could well be a contender for try of the carnival to get Marymount out to a 4-nil lead.
Grammar managed to find more possession and better field possession but several scoring opportunities went begging.
Second rower Avalon Price scored in the shadow of full-time to seal the 8-nil win for Marymount, who are coached by former NRL and Blues’ Origin star Matt Geyer.
Lewis piles on points
Southern Cross utility Lewis O’Neil racked up half his team’s points in the Division 3 boys clash.
He scored two tries and landed four conversions in the 32-nil win.
Winger Zach Watkin got the scoring started, with prop Joshua Crawford, centre Beau Bawden and five-eighth Jai Sturgess also getting on the score sheet.
Hat-trick gets TCC girls home
Winger Ellie Goodwin scored a hat-trick as The Cathedral College open girls survived a scare in their opening game.
The 2023 champions twice trailed St James College before eventually running out 18-10 winners, Goodwin’s third in the 34th minute sealing the result.
Meanwhile, defending champions St Patrick’s Mackay saw off some early pressure to run out 18-nil winners in their opener against St Margaret Mary’s.
Second rower Ebony Temple was a standout for the winners, rewarded for a tireless effort with one of the team’s four tries.
Triumphant return
Good Counsel College has made a triumphant return to the Confraternity Carnival after a 25-year hiatus.
The Innisfail outfit beat St Augustine’s 22-12 in the Division 4 boys clash, one of seven games played in the opening round of the carnival on Monday morning.
Good Counsel last played at Confro in 2000.
Down 6-nil early in the first half, they levelled it up by half-time and blew the game open with three second-half tries.
Centre Logan Walker-Epong and lock Peter Solien both bagged a double in the victory.
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Originally published as 2025 Confraternity Carnival: Day 1 highlights from Rockhampton
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