Live stream: Keebra Park v Marsden SHS, Langer Trophy, Round 4
Keebra coach Peter Norman has lamented his side’s ability to switch off after they almost let Marsden State High run over the top of them in the Langer Trophy. Watch the REPLAYS.
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It didn’t take long for powerhouse Keebra Park to assert dominance over Marsden in their round 4 Langer Trophy clash at home.
The home side walked away with a well deserved 20-18 victory over their rivals, who are yet to find a consistent form this season.
It was far from smooth sailing however, the side relying on a last ditch dummy-half barge over to seal their 4-0 record after letting Marsden fight back in the second half.
WATCH THE LANGER TROPHY REPLAY ABOVE, SCROLL DOWN FOR THE WALTERS CUP REPLAY
“I’m happy that we won but I’m really disappointed in the performance,” coach Peter Norman said.
“We played 15 minutes of good football and then put the cue in the rack.
“It’s not going to be a pleasant video review for the boys.
“We want to progress each week and I don’t think we did that (tonight).”
Benji Strutt was the first to put points on the board before Zac Kumbamong followed suit.
The match was disrupted for several minutes while centre Bailey Secombe underwent an assessment before being walked off for a shoulder injury.
He was later cleared and returned to play in the second half, though Norman remains wary of the star’s history.
“He was good enough to come back on, but that kid has had two shoulder reconstructions already.
“When he went down I was pretty worried.
“It’s lucky we have the break now and he’ll have some time off… we’ll reassess from there,” he said.
Marsden managed to set up a clean set late in the half, Taylor To’A executing before Queensland representative Javon Andrews converted under pressure.
Keebra were kept scoreless for the final nine minutes of play but led 10-6 at the break with energy in the tank.
They kicked back into gear early in the second half, Kumbamong capitalising on a kick chase error from Marsden to score Keebra’s third and secure a personal double.
The visitors had a golden opportunity off a 6-to-go call 10m out from the line, but a forward pass jeopardised the momentum and forced them back into defence.
It was enough to ignite To’A, who polished off a 40m run and lost three players on the chase to put Marsden back in the game - trailing by just four points with 12 on the clock.
Tensions brewed on the sideline as time ran down, but the pressure of Keebra’s undefeated streak proved too much for Marsden’s young side as.
A heroic try from Austin Marsters in the far right corner sealed the deal, Keebra walking away thankful for the hard fought win.
“The experienced boys in year 12 really stood up and that’s what got us over the line,” Norman said.
WALTERS CUP
Keebra Park shook off conceding an early try to claim a 30-10 victory in their round 4 Walters Cup clash against Marsden on home soil.
Coach William Pei said Marsden’s early try hadn’t knocked his boys off their game plan.
“We kept our cool and got back into the game real quick,” he said.
Keebra Park SHS v Marsden SHS - Walters Cup
No sooner had the visitors jumped out to an early advantage than second rower Treleque Silimaka opened Keebra’s tryscoring account under the sticks.
Israel Lotaki and Qubin Anderson continued ticking points over before Marsden lock Zack Lotaki was sent to the bin for a high tackle on Keebra’s Ben McGregor with seven minutes left in the half.
The home side’s fourth try came from Harvey Smith early in the second half before five-eighth Yeim Costello provided Marsden some relief - running 50m under pressure from Kaden Lander to score in the corner.
Lennox Whaiapu polished off the game with Keebra’s fifth and final try.
“It was a real good win for us,” Pei said.
“We’ve got a break now and then three tough games against Mabel, Ipswich and PBC.
“So (this) was a good way to finish the first half of the season.”
PREVIEW
Keebra Park coach Peter Norman has warned his side to learn from past mistakes as they set their sights well beyond just a Langer Trophy title.
For the first time since a rampaging David Fifita put the rugby league world on notice in the Keebra Park backrow in 2017, Norman is certain he has the squad to take his side to the national title.
While it has been a lean six years since the school last won the national title, the Keebra Park side led by exciting fullback Mason Barber has shown plenty of positives over its first three games to have Norman confident they can scale the mountain again.
Ahead of the schools Langer Trophy clash against rivals Marsden State High on Wednesday, a match which marks the halfway point of the tournament, the coach was pulling no punches.
The game will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV.See the full Langer Trophy live stream schedule for the week below. Click the links to watch games LIVE.
“We’re looking forward to putting our name back on top of the list,” Norman said.
“That’s why we’re focusing on ourselves this year and learning from previous mistakes... (we) have fallen short in critical performances (in the past).
“I truly believe we have a squad that could win the national title.”
The Gold Coast nursery was one of the most dominant forces of the NRL Schoolboys Cup in the 2010s reaching the national final on four occasions and winning it twice.
The school produced three Peter Sterling Medal winners in that period including Marion Seve, Payne Haas and David Fifita.
But for a school which has won 20 state titles in the past 40 years, they have failed to make the state final since that 2017 title.
Now Norman is done waiting for success, confident 2024 is their year once more.
“(We) still have a few things to work on if we really want to challenge the national title this year, but there’s a bit of time between this game and then to really focus back on those fundamentals,” he said.
“They’re a tight group of boys and we’ve got some great players that, if everyone does their job, will be able to get us home.”
“Particularly defensively, we just keep getting better. If we can improve by 5% each week, the sky’s the limit.”
The balancing act hasn’t been a breeze, the star coach having to juggle player load since day dot without risking a blunder early in the short season.
“(We) navigated the first three rounds pretty well in terms of giving a few boys some rest after a big Mal Meninga season and schoolboys state titles.
“A few of them were a bit beat up, so we’ve managed that period and rested some players so they’re not burnt out,” Norman said.
While the mid-season break is on the horizon, and a clash against rivals Ipswich State High in the first round back, Norman said the side weren’t getting distracted.
“All of our focus is on Wednesday,” he said.
“They’re a tough competitor so we’re focused on getting through the game and putting our best foot forward on the field … then how we want to spend our time off and make sure we move on for Ipswich.
Norman pinpointed the half duo of Hayden Watson and Javon Andrews as Marsden’s biggest threat. Both Queensland schoolboy representatives, it’ll be a tough gig to halt the side’s playmakers.
But the Gold Coast side was ready to fight fire with fire in the form of their own playmaking talent.
“Mason Barber is definitely our x-factor and has been one of our best players each week, Norman said. “He’ll be the difference.
Originally published as Live stream: Keebra Park v Marsden SHS, Langer Trophy, Round 4
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