Matt Geyer’s Marymount College stunned reigning champions Rockhampton Grammar School in an eventful start to rugby league’s 39th annual Confraternity Carnival in Charters Towers today.
Geyer, the former Melbourne Storm premiership winger and New South Wales Origin winger, coaches a Marymount College team from Burleigh Heads featuring his son Cole at hooker.
Their 17-10 win in the second round turned the competition on its head. Earlier, Rockhampton Grammar had shocked Confraternity’s most successful school St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 28-0.
St Brendan’s College faces the prospect of needing to win both halves of its clash with Marymount tomorrow – bonus points are issued for the winners of each half – to stay in contention for its 14th Confraternity Shield.
The Catholic schools competition, which was set up in 1980, again attracted its share of NRL scouts today looking for the next players to join more than 30 Carnival graduates who have reached State of Origin level for Queensland.
The Confraternity Carnival is contested in three divisions and continues to grow in popularity, producing a stellar list of graduates including six players today named in the Maroons’ team for the final Origin match – Valentine Holmes, Will Chambers, Corey Oates, Ben Hunt, Coen Hess and Dylan Napa.
Geyer, who teaches at Marymount College, said he was proud of the way his players had performed against one of the competition’s heavyweights.
“My team are made up of some really close friends and they played for each other out there against a good team,” Geyer said.
“There’s a long way to go in this competition and the nature of Confro means that you have to continue playing well across the week.”
The third round of pool matches will be played tomorrow morning before the finals section of the competition begins tomorrow afternoon. Wednesday will be a rest day followed by the completion of the finals matches across Thursday and Friday.
Townsville’s Ignatius Park College looms as a genuine title threat with two impressive wins today in its pool matches. Ignatius Park is expected to top its pool and will meet the second placed team in the pool featuring Marymount, Rockhampton Grammar and St Brendan’s.
Johnathan Thurston’s former school St Mary’s College, Toowoomba, and St Augustine’s College, Cairns, are also well placed in Division 1 after two wins today.
Schools from southeast Queensland, which play rugby union during their inter-school competitions, continue to embrace the annual Carnival.
St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe, Iona College, Wynnum and Marist College, Ashgrove shared the AIC First XV rugby union premiership this year and all contested matches today in Division 1.
Padua College, which featured in the inaugural Confraternity Carnival in 1980, continues to be a competition mainstay.
The Confraternity Carnival is staged by the Queensland Independent Secondary Schools’ Rugby League with this year’s matches hosted by Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers.
QISSRL president Peter Elmore said the opening day showcased the most important elements of the Confraternity Carnival.
“It keeps getting larger every year but this Carnival is still about sportsmanship, respect and fellowship,” Mr Elmore said.
“There is a great tradition and we saw the beginnings of another memorable Carnival in today’s matches.”
Full results from the opening day can be found on the Confraternity Shield app:
Apple: http://apple.co/2tt17LK or Android: http://bit.ly/2ttr6CJ
Day 1 results (Pool matches)
Division 1
Round 1
St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe 16 d Padua College, Kedron 14
Ignatius Park College, Townsville 16 d The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 8
Emmaus College, Rockhampton 28 d St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 10
Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 24 d Marist College, Ashgrove 10
The Rockhampton Grammar School 28 d St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 0
St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 20 d St Patricks’ College, Mackay 4
St Peter Claver College, Riverview 22 d St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 14
St Augustine’s College, Cairns 16 d Aquinas College, Ashmore 6
Round 2
Marymount College, Burleigh Waters 17 d The Rockhampton Grammar School 10
Ignatius Park College, Townsville 22 d Emmaus College, Rockhampton 4
St Mary’s College, Toowoomba 24 d St Peter Claver College, Riverview 6
St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon 30 d Marist College, Ashgrove 12
The Cathedral College, Rockhampton 40 d St Edmund’s College, Ipswich 0
St Augustine’s College, Cairns 20 d St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe 8
St Patrick’s College, Mackay 16 d St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie 10
To play tonight (scores available via the QISSRL website or app):
Padua College, Kedron vs Aquinas College, Ashmore
Division 2
Round 1
St Michael’s College, Merrimac 26 d St Columban’s College, Caboolture 0
Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 30 d St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 22
St Joseph’s College, Stanthorpe / Assumption College, Warwick 18 d Marist College, Emerald 12
All Souls St Gabriel’s College (1), Charters Towers 22 d St Mary’s College, Maryborough / St
Patrick’s College, Gympie 0
Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 14 d St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba 0
Holy Spirit College, Mackay 18 d Columba Catholic College, Charters Towers 10
Iona College, Wynnum 16 d Clairvaux MacKillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt 6
St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 10 d Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers 6
Round 2
St Columban’s College, Caboolture 14 d Ryan Catholic College, Townsville 10
St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane 16 d St Michael’s College, Merrimac 10
Faith Lutheran College, Plainland 12 d St Thomas More College, Sunnybank 6
St Joseph’s College, Stanthorpe / Assumption College, Warwick 20 d St Mary’s College,
Maryborough / St Patrick’s College, Gympie 6
Clairvaux MacKillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt 24 d Holy Spirit College, Mackay 12
To play tonight (games will be livestreamed on the QISSRL Facebook page and scores available via the QISSRL website or app):
5.30pm: Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers vs St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba
6.20pm: All Souls St Gabriel’s College (1), Charters Towers vs Marist College, Emerald
7pm: Columba College, Charters Towers vs Iona College, Wynnum
Division 3
Round 1
St John’s Catholic School, Roma 4 drew with All Souls St Gabriel’s (2), Charters Towers 4
Emmaus College, Jimboomba 18 d Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mount Isa 6
Chanel College, Gladstone 16 d Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 0
St James’ College, Spring Hill 26 d Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 4
Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 38 d St Augustine’s College, Springfield 0
Trinity College, Beenleigh 6 drew with St Anthony’s Catholic College, Townsville 6
Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby 22 d St Mary’s Catholic College, Wooree 0
Shalom College, Bundaberg 46 d St Mary’s College, Casino 0
Round 2
Shalom College, Bundaberg 40 d Mt Maria College, Mitchelton 0
Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay 16 d Chanel College, Gladstone 12
St Augustine’s College, Springfield 24 drew with Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham 24
Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mount Isa 32 d All Souls St Gabriel’s College (2), Charters Towers 6
Emmaus College, Jimboomba 30 d St John’s Catholic School, Roma 6
St James’ College, Spring Hill 30 d St Mary’s College, Casino 6
Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby 24 d St Anthony’s Catholic College, Townsville 10
Trinity College, Beenleigh 28 d St Mary’s Catholic College, Wooree 4
Photo: Ignatius Park College's Cameron Bateup with the ball against Emmaus College, Rockhampton.
