Live stream: Ignatius Park College v Trinity Bay High School, Aaron Payne Cup, Round 4

After an excellent Confraternity campaign, Ignatius Park seemed poised to deliver in the Aaron Payne Cup. They didn’t disappoint in a nine-try demolition of Trinity Bay. Relive all the action.

Junior Cowboys fullback Lincoln Baker delivered yet another man of the match performance in the Aaron Payne Cup, engineering a first half fightback that ended as a 44-12 blowout over Trinity Bay State High.

The former Queensland Under-15 half has blossomed since moving into the Ignatius Park College No.1 jersey and his combination of speed and swerve lit the fuse for an attacking explosion in Cairns.

Baker was narrowly denied a hat-trick in the final minute while a booming torpedo kick should be recorded as a try assist after Trinity Bay bobbled the bomb for centre Kye Connell to touch down for Iggy’s opening score.

Fast-starting Trinity Bay had appeared set to repeat their opening round feat of taking a half-time lead against Ignatius Park, before Baker seized control of the match.

Trailing 12-4 after 21 minutes, a sharp wraparound play with backrower Jack Kennedy lured the defence out of position for Baker to accelerate into the vacant hole for his first of the day.

That score triggered a run of Ignatius Park points as under-pressure Trinity Bay conceded penalty after penalty to propel Baker and his band of visitors back up the field.

Cowboys prop Sitiveni Afu took Iggy into the lead for the first time of the match in the 24th minute before Baker was back in action again, beating three defenders through acceleration and agility on the stroke of half-time to seize a 20-12 lead at the break.

Aaron Payne Cup leading tryscorer Patrick Krause dashed 80m for his fifth try in four games after defusing a Trinity Bay cross-field kick only to find himself without a defender around him.

That was in the second minute of the second half and set the tone for the remainder of the match as Ignatius Park pounded in five tries in the final period.

The final score of the day might fittingly have gone to Baker for a hat-trick, if not for a valiant defensive effort from Trinity No.7 D’Artanyan Connolly to wrestle the runaway to ground eight metres short of the line.

Trinity Bay’s finest moments came in the first half, when five-eighth Kennedy Miamel showed dazzling skill to chip and chase in traffic and read the bounce of the ball perfectly to score the opening try within a mess of bodies.

There were shades of Latrell Mitchell on display from Trinity fullback Harmon Benioni, who skittled multiple defenders on the Iggy Park goalline to extend his side’s lead to 12-4 in the 16th minute.

IGNATIUS PARK COLLEGE 44 (K Connell, L Baker (2), S Afu, P Krause, J Ryan, A Corradini, R Soper, S Reupena tries; L Baker (5) goals) DEF. TRINITY BAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL 12 (K Miamel, H Benioni tries; E Laumatia, D Connolly goals)

REPLAY

Trinity Bay SHS v Ignatius Park College - Cowboys Challenge

PREVIEW

Ignatius Park College’s quest to claim its second Aaron Payne Cup title in three seasons will continue on Wednesday against Pool A dark horse Trinity Bay State High School.

Iggy Park enters the second half of the tournament riding high on the momentum of a Confraternity Cup campaign that solidified the blue-and-white’s title credentials in the NRL Schoolboys Cup

Led by player of the final and team captain, Cowboys-contracted prop Sitiveni Afu, Ignatius Park appear poised to continue that winning form against winless Trinity Bay, but an 0-3 record is not permission to take their challengers lightly.

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The central Cairns school has proven to be one of North Queensland’s most fertile breeding grounds for talent and presents a constant threat to the experienced Cup campaigners in Pool A.

Trinity Bay claim Maroons Jeremiah Nanai and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow among their former students and any number of current players could follow in their footsteps to become the NRL’s next superstar.

Few are better aware of the dangers Trinity Bay present than Ignatius Park, the Townsville school that was forced to fight back from a 10-point halftime deficit in the opening round of the season.

Aaron Payne Cup leading tryscorer Patrick Krause scored a double that day and his finishing ability will be called upon again, now that he has recorded an A-Grade debut for the Burdekin Roosters.

Originally published as Live stream: Ignatius Park College v Trinity Bay High School, Aaron Payne Cup, Round 4