The Queensland State final of the Arrive Alive Cup had
been billed as “David versus Goliath” with
St Brendan’s NRL Debutante David Taylor in the
role of David and the Keebra boys in the role of Goliath,
however something funny happened on the way to the forum.
Instead of David disposing Goliath with his trusty slingshot
full of offloads, line busting runs and crunching defence…..Goliath
parried, out maneuvered and finally slay the humble
shepherd with a skilful display football that left many
at Browne Park opened mouthed and shocked.
Brendans had beaten all before them by large margins
and would have been rightly confident of their ability
to continue their run with a team boasting not only
Taylor but also a number of Capricornia reps in the
side. Keebra having disposed of local rivals Marsden
and Palm Beach Currumbin (who both feature Australian
schoolboy reps) were just as confident and the stage
was set for an encounter of Biblical proportions.
Keebra were quickest off the mark and after just four
minutes, opened their account with a try to Matthew
Parata who managed to convert his own effort. Several
incomplete sets put the boys under some unnecessary
pressure but through solid defence they were able to
weather the storm and seven minutes before half time
they added another unconverted try through bustling
centre, Kingi Akaoula.
The second half developed into a bit of an arm wrestle
with Brendan’s hooker, Graham Thomas showing good
maturity as he probed the Keebra line asking many a
question of the Keebra defence….these questions
were solidly answered with a “Sorry not today
thank you” and as the half progressed the boys
stepped up a gear and in the space of four minutes added
two tries. Man of the match, Orlando Wihongi-Seia crossed
after a dazzling display of footwork close to the line
and then Brett Thomas latched onto the end of a long-
range movement to put the Coasters in an unassailable
position. Nic Deaves scored a consolation for Brendan’s
in the dying minutes and despite their going down 18-4
the parochial crowd
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