Marymount College crashed over for a try in the last minute to give a rugby league legend a memorable start to his ACU Confraternity Carnival coaching career at Marist College, Ashgrove today.
Cameron Smith had done it all in his playing career but he was a rookie “Confro” coach today as forward Tyler Steinbeck scored for the Burleigh Waters team to record a 10-4 win over Padua College, Kedron in a match that typified a gripping opening day in the boys’ competition at the famous schools’ carnival.
Smith is one of six former State of Origin players coaching teams at the carnival which brings together 56 boys’ teams and 16 girls’ teams from Catholic and Independent schools across Queensland.
It was a typical day of drama to open the 46th Confraternity Carnival, run by Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League and sponsored by Australian Catholic University. The talking points included:
- Hosts Marist College winning both of their Division 1 matches including a stirring 8-6 win over St Patrick’s College, Mackay before a huge crowd under lights. The result knocked the defending champions out of the race to win another Confraternity Shield.
- Heavyweights Ignatius Park College, Townsville and St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon winning both of their matches to move into a strong position ahead of tomorrow’s final pool match and quarter-final.
- Brisbane-based schools St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane and Iona College, Lindum winning both of their Division 1 matches after switching from their rugby union seasons.
- Division 2 featured seven unbeaten teams after two pool matches: Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers; Marist College, Emerald; St James’ College, Spring Hill; Villanova College, Coorparoo; Holy Spirit College, Mackay; St Edmund’s College, Ipswich; and St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie.
Smith’s Confro coaching debut was a talking point but he was quick to direct the focus to his players who endured two tense games as light showers made playing conditions greasy at the famous Brisbane college.
Marymount College kept fighting in a tense 6-all draw with St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe, in the opening pool match and seemed headed for another draw before Steinbeck crashed over in a play that required a discussion between the referee and touch judge before the try was awarded.
The whistle brought roars of relief from a Marymount College team that has long been one of the most consistent at the carnival, often boasting a bunch of famous league names. They had more today as promising five-eighth Jasper Smith joined Logan Bai (son of Marcus and brother of Cooper) and Oliver Friend (son of Nathan) as relatives of well-known NRL names.
“It’s been a fantastic start to the carnival and we saw a lot of young talent across plenty of the fields here. It’s a great calibre of rugby league,” Cameron Smith said.
“We had two really tough matches today and we learnt from them. We stuck at it in the second half tonight and it was a good result in the end against a really good team. We have a lot of respect for Padua given the way they have played their footy here for many years.”
Former Broncos and Cowboys winger Scott Minto was pleased with St Brendan’s progress as the 2023 champions conceded only one try in their victories over Shalom College, Bundaberg and St Mary’s College, Toowoomba.
Minto coached St Brendan’s to the Shield final win the last time the carnival was held in Brisbane and his players surged through today’s return to the capital city.
“We were looking to start these games better because we had been slow in some of our Dolphins Cup games recently,” Minto said.
“It’s always difficult looking across all of the other teams because they come here from so many different places but it was another good day of football.”
Dunamis Lui (St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe), Brenko Lee (St James’ College, Spring Hill), Antonio Kaufusi (Shalom College), Steven Bell (Marist College, Emerald) and Matt Geyer (Marymount College girls’) are the former Origin players coaching teams while Kangaroo Darren Smith is an assistant coach with his former team Clairvaux MacKillop College, Upper Mount Gravatt.
Sixteen teams contest each of Divisions 1, 2 and 3 while eight teams play in Division 4.
Division 3 remains wide open with six teams unbeaten: Chanel College, Gladstone; St Michael’s College, Merrimac; St John’s School, Roma; Our Lady of the Southern Cross Catholic College, Dalby; Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville and Trinity College, Beenleigh.
In Division 4, Good Counsel College, Innisfail and St Mary’s Catholic College, Cairns, won both of their opening matches.
Play continues tomorrow with the third and final pool matches in the morning. Quarter-finals matches begin in the boys’ section tomorrow afternoon ahead of Wednesday’s rest day. Semi-finals and finals will be played on Thursday and Friday.
Photo by QISSRL / Bradley Kanaris
Boys’ Day 1 results
DIVISION 1
Pool A
Marist College, Ashgrove 20 d Emmaus College, Rockhampton 6
Ignatius Park College, Townsville 8 d St Patrick’s College, Mackay 6
Ignatius Park College, Townsville 16 d Emmaus College, Rockhampton 6
Marist College, Ashgrove 8 d St Patrick’s College, Mackay 6
Pool B
Padua College, Kedron 14 d St Augustine’s College, Cairns 0
St Patricks College Shorncliffe 6 drew Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 6
Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 10 d Padua College, Kedron 4
St Augustine’s College, Cairns 14 d St Patricks College Shorncliffe 6
Pool C
St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 22 d Shalom College, Bundaberg 6
St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 16 d St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 10
St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 18 d Shalom College, Bundaberg 16
St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 20 d St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 0
Pool D
Iona College, Lindum 14 d The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 0
Rockhampton Grammar School 22 d St Peter Claver College, Riverview 6
Iona College, Lindum 40 d StPeter Claver College, Riverview 0
The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 12 drew Rockhampton Grammar School 12
DIVISION 2
Pool A
Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers 16 d Aquinas College, Ashmore 10
Marist College, Emerald 28 d Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers 0
Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers 20 d Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers 10
Marist College, Emerald 18 d Aquinas College, Ashmore 8
Pool B
Villanova College, Coorparoo 16 d All Souls St Gabriel’s College, Charters Towers 6
Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 16 d Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 12
Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 18 d All Souls St Gabriel’s College, Charters Towers 0
Villanova College, Coorparoo 18 d Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 6
Pool C
Holy Spirit College, Mackay 4 d Clairvaux Mackillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt 0
St James College, Spring Hill 30 d St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 0
St James College, Spring Hill 46 d Clairvaux Mackillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt 0
Holy Spirit College, Mackay 42 d St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 0
Pool D
St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 40 d St Columban’s College, Caboolture 4
St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 16 d Assumption College, Warwick 4
St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 8 d St Columban’s College, Caboolture 0
St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 32 d Assumption College, Warwick 12
DIVISION 3
Pool A
Chanel College, Gladstone 20 d Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 4
St Michael’s College, Merrimac 26 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 16
Chanel College, Gladstone 34 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 0
St Michael’s College, Merrimac 36 d Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 0
Pool B
St John’s College, Roma 32 d McAuley College, Beaudesert 4
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Dalby 24 d Chisholm Catholic College, Cornubia 0
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Dalby 22 d McAuley College, Beaudesert 12
St John’s College, Roma 24 d Chisholm Catholic College, Cornubia 0
Pool C
Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville 14 d Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 6
Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 10 d Unity College, Sunshine Coast 0
Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville 26 d Unity College, Sunshine Coast 12
Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 12 d Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 8
Pool D
Emmaus College, Jimboomba 22 d St John’s College, Nambour 6
Trinity College, Beenleigh 12 d St Patrick’s College, Gympie 0
St John’s College, Nambour 12 d St Patrick’s College, Gympie 0
Trinity College, Beenleigh 18 d Emmaus College, Jimboomba 6
DIVISION 4
Pool A
Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mt Isa 14 d St Anthony’s College, Townsville 0
Good Counsel Catholic College, Innisfail 14 d Siena Catholic College, Sippy Downs 4
Good Counsel Catholic College, Innisfail 14 d Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mt Isa 0
Siena Catholic College, Sippy Downs 34 d St Anthony’s College, Townsville 8
Pool B
St Mary’s College, Cairns 10 d Good Samaritan Catholic College, Bli Bli 6
Burdekin Catholic High School, Ayr 16 d St Augustine’s College, Augustine Heights 10
St Mary’s College, Cairns 16 d Burdekin Catholic High School, Ayr 10
Good Samaritan Catholic College, Bli Bli 46 d St Augustine’s College, Augustine Heights 0
