2025 Aaron Payne Cup live stream: Ignatius Park College v Mackay State High, Round 5

Ignatius Park College will hand three young guns - including two rugby converts - an Aaron Payne Cup debut as the side battles a lack of numbers. Watch the clash with Mackay SHS LIVE on Wednesday.

Mackay State High threw one of the cleanest and most decisive jabs of its Aaron Payne Cup campaign.

It’s just the blow only briefly rocked heavyweight rivals Ignatius Park College before they came back throwing haymakers.

Blazing winger Hayden Griffin scored four tries, while exciting fullback prospect Marley Hinsbey pulled all the strings in an emphatic 56-6 Aaron Payne Cup win for the Townsville giants.

WATCH THE PAYNE CUP REPLAY ABOVE. SCROLL DOWN FOR THE COWBOYS CHALLENGE

It was a tough blow to the finals hopes of Mackay State High, who managed to land the first blow of the match when hooker Stephen Sandow barged over inside the second minute.

Mackay managed to maintain the early field advantage in the first half and looked odds on to score a second before Ignatius Park finally snapped.

In a blistering 15 minute window the home side scored four tries and blew the game apart.

Dummy-half Byron Piggott started the avalanche of points with a crafty run through defenders, before Hinsbey scored one of his own and set up one for Griffin.

Ignatius Park centre Kye Connell caused havoc for the Mackay State High right-edge defence helping set up three of Griffin’s tries while also scoring one of his own in the second half.

Chase Sheppard was near perfect with the boot, only missing two conversions in the 50-point rout.

Replay: Ignatius Park College v Mackay SHS (Cowboys Challenge)

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With an illness ripping through the squad, and one of their premier forwards on Cowboys Under-20s duty, Ignatius Park College will turn to a trio of young guns to carry the torch in the Aaron Payne Cup this week.

Still smarting after they were forced out of the Confraternity Shield finals series on a technicality, the Townsville nursery has turned its focus on winning the Aaron Payne Cup.

Ignatius Park College will restart its campaign against Mackay State High on Wednesday, with the clash exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV as part of a double header along with the Cowboys Challenge showdown between the schools.

North Queensland Schoolboy Rugby Union team trials. Owen Myers, Ignatius Park College. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Star prop forward Sitiveni Afu, who was one of two Ignatius Park players named in the Confraternity Shield merit team, has been given the week off as he prepares to make his debut for the Cowboys QRL Under-20s side.

Afu will be replaced by a trio of big-bodied debutants, as coach Will Jack looks to add more grunt to his engine room.

“We were a little bit small off the bench in Confro,” Jack said. “We have three big bodies that we will give a dress rehearsal to ahead of the run to the finals in Payne Cup.

“We just had a lot of similar body shapes in that squad and we were after a bit of a bigger middle. We lacked a bit of punch off the bench.

“Our boys still finished undefeated, so it’s not a knock on the side, I just feel we could have done with a bit more size there to give our middles a better spell.”

Keyarn Zaro has come through the Western Dragons/Ingham Cutters junior rugby clubs. Photograph: Cameron Bates

The trio who have been handed an opportunity to prove they belong in the run to finals includes representative rugby forward Owen Myers, Isaac Whelan and Blackhawks Cyril Connell Cup squad member Keyarn Zaro.

Ignatius Park will also be sweating on the fitness of strike outside backs Solomon Terare and Jerry Mipari who have been among a host of talents struck down by illness this week.

Coming off the back of the first win of the season last round, Mackay State High will be desperate to get a result on the board to force their way into finals contention.

It’s why Jack won’t be taking the opposition lightly.

“Every game in the Payne Cup you have to make sure you are up for it,” he said.

“We get there and are worried about us. We need to play to our potential and really stake our claim to finish first in this competition. We get a chop at Kirwan in a couple of weeks which will be key. We want to push for a home semi-final.”

Originally published as 2025 Aaron Payne Cup live stream: Ignatius Park College v Mackay State High, Round 5