SWITCHED ON FOR SUCCESS
AFTER a crushing last-minute defeat 12 months ago, Keebra Park are determined not to get caught cold again. Coach Glen Campbell says the schools rugby league side “switched off” that day. Today they’re back in the GIO Schoolboy Cup final in Sydney, and Ca
THE next wave of Gold Coast rugby league superstars have the chance to secure a professional future as they push to lift Keebra Park to a third GIO Schoolboy Cup national title today.
While their focus is fixed on the midday kick-off at Leichardt Oval in a rematch of last year’s Australian final against Westfields Sports High, Keebra coach Glen Campbell acknowledged it is a big day for his players.
“At this stage of the year, all of the scouts are watching them,” he said.
“Kids who haven’t got a contract already will now put their name to the front of the list if they play well … it could springboard a few careers.
“We have got some talented players who have not been recognised yet.”
Keebra suffered a crushing last-minute defeat in the 2016 final but Campbell said they would not banish those scenes from memory.
Instead, returning players led by Queensland under-18 representatives Tanah Boyd and David Fifita have drilled into their teammates the prime lesson of that loss: “Don’t switch off”.
“They are pretty focused on not making those same mistakes and are passing that onto the rest of the team, what let them down last year and trying not to repeat that,” he said.
Keebra have welcomed Alofiana Khan-Pereira back into the side after the winger missed the state final victory over Marsden last month.
The team, who are aligned with Canterbury, trained at their ground Belmore yesterday.
Keebra principal Adam Brandis said his school’s success was “the end product” of their experience.
“These types of moments are the end product for a lot of the work around the boys and the players as a whole student and a whole person. This is the end result; it’s not the only result,” Brandis said. Keebra Park team: 1. Damion Dumas, 2. Jonathan Siofele, 3. Sebastian Winters-Chang, 4. Ioane Seiuli, 5. Alofiana Khan-Pereira, 6. Paul Karaitiana, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. Geordie Brand, 9. Blake Scott, 10. Devontai Seumanutafa, 11. Laz Sua, 12. David Fifita, 13. Brock Hamill. Interchange: 14. GoorBeher Chapari, 15. Wade Riley, 16. Tyrone Tofaeono, 17. Eli Morgan, 18. Kalhi Kali.