Toowoomba Mountaineers youth confident ahead of league final

The Toowoomba Mountaineers’ stars of tomorrow are raring to go ahead of their QSL men’s youth league grand final on Saturday. See why they have been a class above this year here.

Toowoomba Mountaineers 2024 men's youth league side.

The Toowoomba Mountaineers men’s youth league side is within touching distance of the holy grail as they prepare for a grand final clash with Southern Districts this Saturday night.

The Mountaineers stars of tomorrow enter the decider in blistering form having won their last six games and will travel to Rowland Cowan Stadium to take on a Spartans side which finished the season on top of the ladder with 12 wins and two losses.

Toowoomba coach Rodney Lindsay-Holley shared his pride in the side ahead of the clash.

“I am very proud, they’ve worked extremely hard,” he said.

“They’ve come together as a great group of guys and it’s the team they’ve built together that’s helped get them to where they are at.”

Toowoomba Mountaineers coach Rodney Lindsay-Holley. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The Mountaineers claimed victory in the only meeting between these two sides but Lindsay-Holley knows it will mean nothing by the time the players step out onto the court.

“I think every game is different, we’ve beat them the only time we’ve played but we’ve all improved since then,” he said.

“We have to take the game how it comes and be prepared and play like we’ve been playing as a team and keep working.

“I think Southern Districts are a top team, they finished number one and they have good players.”

Lindsay-Holley said one of the biggest strengths of his side has been the variety of scoring options and the next man up attitude, with several players capable of making an impact on any given night.

“I think the guys have built around being a team, all of them that can perform at once,” he said.

“If I had to give a MVP I don’t think I could, I’d have to give it to the team.

“That’s the way we’ve tried to work it, not to rely on one or two people.”

The variety in scoring is not just limited to the starters, with several bench players all capable of making their presence felt.

Braydon Ford in action for the Toowoomba Mountaineers. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Theo Hess and Zachary Collins – who are both on the cusp of the Mountaineers senior team and combined for 59 points in the semi-final – will be players to watch, while Kizito Oryem also looms as a game-changer.

The sensational athlete is an incredible rising star and can turn opposing defenders inside out with his moves, while Braydon Ford is a consistent performer in the back-court and can always be relied upon to make a strong contribution as he scored more than 10 points in all but two of his games this season.

The Mountaineers’ clash with the Spartans will tip-off at 7.30pm on Saturday.