Towers, Ingham preview
THE Confraternity Carnival is back after two years on the sidelines and nine schools from Townsville, Charters Towers and Ingham will contest four divisions.
In a two-part series the Bulletin will preview all local teams heading to St Patrick’s College, Mackay.
Part 1 will cover Charters Towers and Ingham’s Confraternity contenders, with Part 2 covering Townsville’s touring teams.
COLUMBA CATHOLIC COLLEGE (DIV II, POOL C)
The Charters Towers boarding school will field talent from as far north as the Torres Strait and as south as Winton in their bid to break a 10-year Confraternity Division II drought. g
Columba, which c o u n t s among its f o r m e r students s Queens
land prop Jacob J b Lillyman Lill and PNG Kumuls skipper John Wilshere, have a young squad for the 2022 competition but lack nothing for strike power in athletic fullback Assariah Lenoy (pictured, left), and a talented halfback in 15-yearold Mathias Santo-hero.
Coach Rohan Dixon said the tight-knit boarding crew in the team would be a major advantage over division rivals.
Columba defeated All Souls St Gabriels 20-0 in the NRL
Trophy final earlier this year. Squad: Assariah Lenoy, Ben Simpson, Brenton Miller, Naqarne Oui, Latrell Heard, Liam Brown, Mathias Santo-hero, Liam Young, Jasper Guy, Preston Ah Wing (c), Martyn Stevenson, Bryce Kingham, Tyler Thompson, Max Campbell, Angus Ford, Chase Guy, Zack Singho, Jake Richards, Riley Amos, Matthew Hewlett.
ALL SOULS ST GABRIELS SCHOOL (DIV II, POOL B)
The Charters Towers school has climbed to the heights of Division I and back down to Division II over 35 years at Confraternity, with a best ever finish of fifth.
This season the Souls team will be led by exciting fullback Darby Butler and composed playmaker Corey Guldbransen (below, right).
Not blessed with size or notable pace in 2022, team am man-manmanager Will Urquhart t saaid said the hallmark of this outfit utffit was an ability to play to structure.
“They move the e ball ballb well into space and an nd they’re a really hardhar rdworking team,” UrquUrq quhart said.
“They’re a no-nonon nsense team who just ju st keep getting up for fo or each other and doing oin ng the best they possibly sib bly can.”
The spark of former for rmer Blackhawks under-16s de r- representative Butler er r will be Souls’ greatest threat hre eat in the quest to better er their 2015 campaign, which ich h succeeded in bringing ngg the
Confraternity Bowl home to the Hill.
Squad: Darby Butler (cc), Ryan y Grant, , Corey y Musk, Zai Hopkins, Riley Rile Hughes, H Gilbert Bethaal, Bethal, Corey C Guldbransen (cc), cc Seth Guldbransen, Guldbranse en, Mickey M Luke, Lachlan n Gostelow, Go Bailey Cowan, Coowan Owen Elliott, liott t, Evan E Hill Warner, Wa arner David Gaidan, Gaidan G Flanagan, F lana Hunter Kaydn Mckellar, Mcke M Scott, S James Bryce Cowan, Cowa C Jed Marshall, sh hall, Riley Easton. ton n.
BLACK BLACKHEATH KHEA AND THORNBU THORNBURGH URGH COLLEGE (DIV II, PO POOL OOL D D)
The lowest low west seeded of Charters’ three th hree independent i rugby league e schools, sch Blackheath and Thornburgh Thorn T have
yet to taste a win in local competition but coach Toby Paynter believes his side is on the cusp of a breakthrough at Confro.
The school will unleash a super-sized front row partnership upon the rest of the division with Palm Island cousins Amoss Ambrym (127kg) and Jahvan Oui (115kg) laying a formidable platform. rally If the behind Thornburgh their impressive boys can GF their middle sets, forwards a deadly and complete MS kicking game from halfback Noah Fogarty can cut rivals to shreds.
“The wheels can fall off a bit but if we can put 40 minutes of our best together at Confraternity I honestly think, pound-for-pound, we can go with anyone in the comp,” Urquhart said.
The school has produced international players Nathan
Fien, Semi Tadulala and Sam Backo.
Squad: Bailey Flanagan, Corey Prior, Kaleb Nona, Tyrone Aliya, Cephas CreedHaines, Seth Black, Noah Fogarty, Amoss Ambrym, Jackson Curtis, Jahvan Oui (c), Bradley Kershaw, Jamie Guyton, Jack Rogers (c), Wyatt Ferguson, Jack Olditch, Eliezer Malana, Maison Ernst, Kai Milne, Dean Woods, Jack Watson.
GILROY SANTA MARIA COLLEGE (DIV III, POOL A)
Ingham’s Gilroy Santa Maria will be playing for injured skipper Joshua Macarone in Division III of the Confraternity Carnival after the team’s leader and lock forward went under the knife in Brisbane a week ago.
Macarone was ruled out of the carnival after tearing a ten
don in his finger, leaving the skipper to inspire an inexperienced team from the sidelines. A spate of injuries has forced the college to call upon extra players from hosts St Patrick’s, Mackay, who answered the call in the spirit of brotherhood the carnival is all about.
Many who are left have only started playing rugby league for the first time this year, according to team manager Petrina Coco. “We’ve got a bunch of non-players who are trying to play footy who have taken it up to have some fun with their mates,” she said.
Squad: Bohdi Matsen, John Prior, Robert Guiliano, Jack Johnson, Jaspa Skinner, William Melvin, Samuel Timms, Zac Foster, Bradyn Scott, Jake Gori, Sean Moloney, Michael Russo, Joshua Macarone (injured), Aiden Sanderson, Harrison Carrara.