St Brendan’s ‘reset compass’ for Dolphins Cup after Confraternity win

Coach Scott Minto has revealed the adversity his team overcame to claim the prized Confraternity Shield and why their shot at back-to-back Dolphins Cup titles will be a true test of the squad’s depth.

St Brendan's are turning their focus back to the Dolphins Cup after their spirited win at the 2023 Confraternity Carnival.

St Brendan’s open rugby league players have their sights set on their next goal after their recent Confraternity Carnival success.

They are now looking to go back-to-back in the Dolphins Cup, the five-team regional schoolboys competition which resumes next week after the three opening rounds were played earlier this year.

But the depth of their squad will be tested after a handful of their leading players were injured in their Confro campaign in Brisbane.

St Brendan’s took the coveted title with a hard-fought 18-10 victory over Emmaus College in an all Central Queensland final.

St Brendan's College players celebrate their win at the 2023 Confraternity Shield. Photo: Academy Photography

Trailing 4-nil at the break, they stormed home in the second half, scoring four tries to claim the shield for the first time since 2015, the year in which current NRL and Queensland Maroons’ star Harry Grant was playing.

Four players - centre Rydell Tyrell, halfback Tyler Melrose, prop Carter Ford and utility Jake Pierce - were named in the Confraternity Carnival boys’ merit team.

Coach Scott Minto said the win was “right up there” and was even more special given the adversity his team faced.

Their influential lock Simon Green, who got the nod as the team’s Player of the Carnival, missed the final after breaking his collarbone in the semi.

St Brendan's Jake Pierce in action at the 2023 Confraternity Shield in Brisbane. Photo: Academy Photography

They then lost Tyrell and Melrose to injury in the decider, while front rower Diezel Brunker pushed through the pain of what was a serious injury to help seal the win.

Minto said with the key quartet sidelined, he would have to make some changes for Round 4 of the Dolphins Cup against The Cathedral College next Tuesday.

St Brendan’s are sitting in second behind Emmaus College, with TCC in third, Bundaberg’s Shalom College in fourth and Rockhampton Grammar in fifth.

“We will go into this clash without the injured boys, so this will be a test of the depth in the squad,” Minto said.

St Brendan's Carter Ford was named in the Confraternity Carnival merit team. Photo: Academy Photography

“Carter Ford, who was enormous at Confro, is getting better every game and he was well supported by Jake Oberhardt in Brisbane.

“Both boys will be playing bigger minutes in coming weeks to pick up the slack while the others are healing.

“We are placed well, sitting second on the ladder, and this all but ensures us of a spot in the finals if we keep the foot on the pedal in our final game.”

Minto said it was nice rolling off the back of the effort at Confro and his players had plenty of belief.

“This is the closest competition in recent years and teams will fancy their chances on any given day to get the result,” he said.

“This means we need to reset the compass and narrow the vision towards being there on grand final day in six weeks‘ time.”

St Brendan's Harrison Hill in full flight at the Confraternity Shield in Brisbane. Photo: Academy Photography

Minto said the Confro win was “right up there” in the highlights of his coaching career.

He said the coaching staff, which included his brother Glen, Luke Caplick and Mike Carron, had the team “cherry ripe” for the carnival, which brought together 52 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams from Catholic and Independent schools across Queensland..

“We specifically tailored the training schedule to have them humming at the right time, which I feel was on the money,” he said.

“The team built nicely into the carnival on the back of confidence in our game model and preparation.

“All the boys bought into this throughout the whole process and I feel this was the key factor to us hoisting the shield.”

Originally published as St Brendan’s ‘reset compass’ for Dolphins Cup after Confraternity win