 side kick a penalty goal after full time to draw 18-all with the powerful Parramatta diocese team.){kind=link}
The final match of the NSWCCC Under 15’s Rugby League Selection trials at St Mary’s Stadium saw the Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) side kick a penalty goal after full time to draw 18-all with the powerful Parramatta diocese team.
After comprehensive wins on Friday against a Sydney Metropolitan side, 30-6 and a 40-4 crushing of a President’s Invitation team, the SCS team knew the final on 31 May would test their resolve.
The SCS team got on the scoreboard first with a neat try from a kick to a flying winger, Beau Rootsey. George Moufarrege was able to convert the try from out wide for a 6-0 lead.
Resilient defence on their tryline restricted Parramatta to two tries despite Parramatta dominating possession in the first half. Going into the break, only 8-6 down coach and former NRL player and teacher at Patrician Brothers Fairfield, Frank Pritchard, knew that with a fair share of possession, SCS could turn the 8-6 deficit around.
A try to Sydney’s other winger, Gabriel Asmar, early in the second half saw SCS re-take a 12-8 lead. Parramatta replied with a try of their own, and the scores were tied. A second try by St Patrick’s Sutherland student, Gabriel Asmar, saw SCS re-take the lead for a third time; however, with only 2 minutes remaining in the match, Parramatta scored their third try after a scrappy kick.
The conversion saw Parramatta take a narrow 18-16 lead with only a minute on the clock. However, with seconds to go, a Ryder Lupton kick couldn’t be cleaned up by Parramatta, and Sydney were awarded a penalty when the referee judged the ball to have touched a player in an offside position. George Moufarrege lined up the penalty kick after the siren, and everyone took a deep breath when the ball hit the upright, only to drop over the crossbar for an 18-all draw.
As a result of their two wins and a draw, the Sydney side saw five boys selected in the NSWCCC team to play in the Australian Rugby League National Championships in Townsville in July. Congratulations to the three Patrician Bros Fairfield students: Monson Hopoate, Deon Haynes, and Rocky Latu, as well as Gabriel Asmar from St Patrick’s College, Sutherland, and Damien Taufateau from Marist College Kogarah, on their selection.
Despite being comprehensively beaten by Parramatta in the 18’s final, Cody Hill from Marcellin College Randwick and Jeziah Va’aiga Papa from Patrician Brothers Fairfield were also rewarded for their outstanding efforts over the two days with selection in the NSWCCC Under 18’s who will play in Coffs Harbour later in the year.
In the 18’s girls squad, St Vincent’s College, Ashfield’s Alavina Tu’ifua is the sole SCS member of the NSWCCC team after a dominant display at the girls carnival in Camden in May this year. Both boys and Alavina will be hoping to play well in the tournament and be rewarded with a prized Australian Schoolboys/Schoolgirls jersey.