St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon are the champions of rugby league’s ACU Confraternity Carnival again after edging St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane in another epic decider in Brisbane.
St Brendan’s won today’s final 16-14 before a huge crowd at Marist College, Ashgrove. It was St Brendan’s 15th Confraternity Shield, extending their carnival record, and it doused another valiant final effort by a Brisbane school.
In the 2024 and 2025 finals, Padua College lost by four points and two points. Today, St Laurence’s gave it their all as they attempted to become the first Brisbane team to claim the Shield since 2005.
This was the 46th Confraternity Carnival, run by Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League and sponsored by Australian Catholic University. Boys’ teams from 56 Catholic and Independent schools from across Queensland and 16 girls’ teams competed across the week.
St Brendan’s claimed its first Shield in 1982 and its list of future stars has been among the strongest in Queensland including the likes of Harry Grant, Ben Hunt, Matt Scott and Corey Oates.
Former Origin utility PJ Marsh played in the Confraternity Shield with St Brendan’s and he watched from the stands today as his son Jay split the black-and-gold defensive wall with a try 11 minutes from fulltime for a 16-10 lead. Jay Marsh’s brother Braelan played in St Brendan’s last Shield win in 2023.
But St Laurence’s hit back to ensure another thrilling finish. Will Bradley scored in the left corner with six minutes remaining to give the South Brisbane team a real shot at a fairytale Shield win.
This was St Laurence’s first year in Division 1 and it was only their 10th Confraternity Carnival. Their goal to remain in the top division was ticked off by the end of the first day when they guaranteed a quarter-final berth.
Their underdog run was built on the defensive focus of coach and Laurie’s Old Boy Paul Boase who had only two weeks to transition his team from their rugby union season.
But the wall finally cracked when St Brendan’s fullback Kobe Oberhardt – whose brother Jake played in the 2023 Shield win – threw a dummy that fooled the resilient St Laurence’s defenders.
Both teams had the usual hard-luck tales with bumps and bruises from a gruelling carnival featuring six matches for each team across four playing days but St Brendan’s found enough in defence to win.
St Brendan’s coach Scott Minto praised both teams for their displays in the final and said his squad had blossomed after younger players experienced the Carnival for the first time in Rockhampton last year.
They turned the disappointment of a semi-final loss after the siren last year into a polished run to this year’s final, conceding only 34 points across six games. This was Minto’s second Shield success as coach after he led St Brendan’s to their 2023 triumph.
“It was a really tight game and our guys learnt a lot from last year when we only just got nutted,” Minto said. “This was a really enjoyable week. Our squad was tight and they were consistent which was important in the end.”
Coach Boase praised his St Laurence’s team which generated plenty of support from the packed stands at McMahon Oval.
“I’m just unbelievably proud of this team. They did everything asked of them and they just kept finding a way into games.”
St Laurence’s College and Iona College, Lindum will now play off for a place in the semi-finals of the schools Dolphins Cup as part of an initiative from the NRL Dolphins.
Last year’s Shield champions St Patrick’s College, Mackay claimed the Bob Lindner Trophy for the bottom half of Division 1 with a win over St Mary’s College, Toowoomba today.
The Neil Bloxsidge Plate for the best school in Division 2 went to St James’ College, Spring Hill with a final win over Villanova College.
The Division 3 Confraternity Cup went to Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville in a tight final against St John’s College, Roma.
Innisfail’s Good Counsel Catholic College claimed Division 4’s Confraternity Classic trophy with a win over St Mary’s College, Cairns.
The 47th Confraternity Carnival will be played on the Gold Coast next year and hosted by Aquinas College, Ashmore. Aquinas College were the inaugural Shield champions in 1980.
Boys’ finals results
DIVISION 1
Confraternity Shield final
St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 16 d St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 14
Positional playoffs
The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 26 d Iona College, Lindum 22
Ignatius Park College, Townsville 36 d Marist College, Ashgrove 0
Padua College, Kedron 18 d Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 10
Bob Lindner Trophy final
St Patrick’s College, Mackay 22 d St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 6
Positional playoffs
Rockhampton Grammar School 11 d Shalom College, Bundaberg 10
Emmaus College, Rockhampton 11 d St Peter Claver College, Riverview 10
St Augustine’s College, Cairns 16 d St Patrick’s College Shorncliffe 14
DIVISION 2
Plate final
St James College, Spring Hill 30 d Villanova College, Coorparoo 12
Positional playoffs
Marist College, Emerald 22 d St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 10
St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 20 d Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers 12
Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 18 d Holy Spirit College, Mackay 6
Bowl final
Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 16 d All Souls St Gabriel’s College, Charters Towers 4
Positional playoffs
St Columban’s College, Caboolture 32 d Assumption College, Warwick 6
Clairvaux Mackillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt 10 d Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers 8
Aquinas College, Ashmore 14 d St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 12
DIVISION 3
Cup final
Southern Cross Catholic College, Townsville 16 d St John’s College, Roma 10
Positional playoffs
Chanel College, Gladstone 16 drew with St Michael’s College, Merrimac 16
Trinity College, Beenleigh 20 d Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Dalby 12
Emmaus College, Jimboomba 22 d Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 16
Challenge final
Unity College, Sunshine Coast 16 d St John’s School, Nambour 14
Positional playoffs
Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 18 d St Patrick’s College, Gympie 16
Chisholm Catholic College, Cornubia 16 d McAuley College, Beaudesert 0
Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 22 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 14
DIVISION 4
Classic final
Good Counsel Catholic College, Innisfail 16 d St Mary’s College, Cairns 6
Positional playoffs
Siena Catholic College, Sippy Downs 22 d Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mt Isa 4
Good Samaritan Catholic College, Bli Bli 10 d Burdekin Catholic High School, Ayr 8
St Augustine’s College, Augustine Heights 16 d St Anthony’s College, Townsville 10
2026 Confraternity Carnival Boys’ Merit Team
1 Tamiana Fatiaki (Ignatius Park College, Townsville)
2 Cayden Hoare (St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon)
3 Bailey Silvester (The Cathedral College, Rockhampton)
4 Bailey Smith (St Patrick’s College, Mackay)
5 Ewan Wood (Marist College, Ashgrove)
6 Harry Taylor (St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane)
7 Lockie Hill (St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon)
8 Keyarn Zaro (Ignatius Park College, Townsville)
9 Jay Marsh (St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon)
10 Jake Gillard (Rockhampton Grammar School)
11 Isaac Dundas (St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane)
12 Harry Cameron (Iona College, Lindum)
13 Doujon Kanak (The Cathedral College, Rockhampton)
14 Eli Cookson (St Patrick’s College, Mackay)
15 Preston Nicol (St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon)
16 Nassar Foster (St Augustine’s College, Cairns)
17 Trae Commons (St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon)
Coach: Adam Sammartino (Aquinas College, Ashmore)
Manager: Chris Anderson (Chanel College, Gladstone)
Player of Carnival: Doujon Kanak (The Cathedral College, Rockhampton)
