Live stream: Palm Beach Currumbin preaching defence first ahead of Phil Hall Cup grand final
It’s the secret mantra that might as well be painted on the walls of Palm Beach Currumbin’s hallowed halls, and the key driver behind the school’s state title legacy. Go inside the minds of players ahead of the Phil Hall Cup final.
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They call it the Red Wall, and it isn’t coming crumbling down anytime soon.
Palm Beach Currumbin State High has built a reputation of shutting out their opposition at every turn.
It is one commandment experienced mentor Tim Maccan has drilled into his elite unit, one that will come to the fore in Thursday’s Phil Hall Cup grand final.
Palm Beach Currumbin will clash with Townsville nursery Kirwan State High in a rematch of the 2020 state final, with the match exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV.
Check the full week-long NRL Schools League finals LIVE STREAM schedule from around the country below.
‘Thou shalt defend before thou attacks’. It is a mantra that may as well be painted across the halls of Palm Beach Currumbin’s Gold Coast nursery.
They are words the players live by, clearly evident in last week’s 28-8 Langer Trophy grand final win over Marsden and even more evident in the school’s 28-0 shut-out of Mackay’s St Patrick’s College in last year’s Phil Hall Cup final.
“If I am going to pick a player, and I am not sure who to choose, then a defender is going to get the spot. I am always big on the defensive stuff,’’ a frank Tim Maccan said.
Young centre Josh Donovan is prime example.
An industrious outside back hailing from the samml town of Grafton in the NSW Northern Rivers, Donovan is a relative of NRL player Daine Laurie.
While he can attack well enough, the rock solid defender locks down his left edge like a prison warden used to check the cell doors at Alcatraz Island.
Jac Finigan is another example of the no fuss attitude of the Red Army.
No forward in the competition runs harder with the ball than second rower Finigan, but each week he invariably leads the team tackle count. He also has a tendency to mix that workrate with ferocious firepower.
He made a team high 15 tackles in the Langer final despite spending 10 minutes in the sin bin for an aggressive tackle which sailed close to the wind.
The aggressive mindset in defence has allowed Palm Beach Currumbin to not only hold out their rivals, but almost attack the opposition without the ball in hand.
“I said to them when Marsden is attacking our goal line, I want you to have the mindset of who is attacking who?” Maccan said.
“I want to make sure you are really getting off your line, that you are staying connected and working hard from the inside.
“I know we will always have the attack there, but how well can you defend? We are smaller than everyone else so we have to work harder.’’
PBC lock forward Isaac Harrison said his players had brought into the mantra.
“Us middles have been working at training doing the one per cent stuff, working on contact and getting numbers in,’’ he explained.
“We know we are not the biggest pack, but that we can match anyone physically if we put our numbers in, put our body in front and work for each other.
Originally published as Live stream: Palm Beach Currumbin preaching defence first ahead of Phil Hall Cup grand final
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