Nanai backs the Bay’s Aaron Payne Cup push
COWBOYS boom rookie Jeremiah Nanai has declared he will help former school Trinity Bay High in its bid to join the Aaron Payne Cup.
The Cairns school was one of several prospective teams earmarked for the revised competition this season, but opted to sit out a year as it launched an inaugural Rugby League School of Excellence.
The Payne Cup, which will feature six teams from Cairns to Mackay, will form part of News Corp’s exclusive schoolboys’ rugby league live stream coverage in 2022.
While Trinity Bay might not be involved this year, Nanai has backed Far North Queensland newcomers Mareeba High to prove they have the talent to match the top sides, including Ignatius Park College and his alma mater, Kirwan State High.
Nanai, who has enjoyed a big start to the season, was excited to help Trinity Bay also make that step up to the elite level of schoolboy footy.
“100 per cent I want to see them involved,” Nanai said. “That is the school I grew up at, and it is a good footy school.
“I still have a connection with the teachers there and they have been telling me it might be a possibility. It’s great to hear.
“Hopefully, one day, Trinity Bay will put a team in. They have some good young players there, and hopefully they can get them growing.
“I would definitely go back and (help) them. I went there and did my whole high school there and loved it. I would be happy to one day go back and give the kids a bit of training, give them (the assistance) that I went through.
“Mareeba has some speedsters and young talent with plenty of footwork. It is great to hear that a school from my home region is coming into the Payne Cup. All the best to them and, hopefully, we see some young talent from Cairns showing what they’ve got.”
Nanai knows what it takes to succeed in the Payne Cup, having helped Kirwan High to back-to-back state championships after moving there to finish his schooling.
A Michael Morgan Medal winner in his final year with the Bears, Nanai went on to make his NRL debut for the Cowboys the following year aged just 18.
The young backrower, who was in high demand earlier this season before securing his future at North Queensland, knows what a strong performance in the premier schoolboys’ ranks can do for a player.
“Aaron Payne Cup is a good competition to make a name for yourself,” he said.
“If you keep putting in the hard work and doing what is best for the team, then you’ll naturally make a name for yourself.
“The kids that are growing up now, (Kirwan High) is a good school, and they should take everything they (the coaches) give to you.
“It is the best opportunity for them as players. You will always be playing in a good system at Kirwan.
“I didn’t even know what to expect at Kirwan when I came to Townsville. I was from Cairns, from a good footy school up there (Trinity Bay).
“Coming here, it changed a lot. I had to wake up early three times a week, doing all the small things to make myself a better footy player.”
The Aaron Payne Cup kicks off on June 1 and will run alongside the Langer Trophy and Dolphins Cup.
News Corp will live stream every game, including the Phil Hall Cup state final and National Schoolboys Cup final.