Marymount College have claimed back-to-back premierships in the Clark Keating Cup, the symbol of supremacy for independent schools football on the Gold Coast.
Thursday, 2 December, 2010
Marymount College have claimed back-to-back premierships in the Clark Keating Cup, the symbol of supremacy for independent schools football on the Gold Coast.
Ironically, the 2010 flag came via a nail-biting two-point grand final win over The Southport School, which counts Keating, the former Brisbane Lions triple premiership player, among its old boys.
TSS had been the surprise packets of the 2010 competition, going undefeated throughout the season prior to the grand final.
The scene was set for a huge day. Approximately 200 people spread around the ground at Marymount College, Burleigh, with signs and car horns to cheer their team on.
In the previous meeting between the two sides in the round games it was a tight tussle, with TSS getting home by two points.
Rival coaches Matt Carroll (Marymount) and Andrew Philp (TSS) seemed relaxed before the game but when it came time to marshal the troops before the first bounce they held their teams in the huddles for a long time to get the messages across.
The grand final was an extension of the Carroll – Philp rivalry at Pineapple Hotel Cup level, with Carroll playing for Palm Beach Currumbin and Philp a Surfers Paradise player.
Marymount hit the ground running with attacking play through the mid field and put on two early goals. TSS shut down this attack by being harder at the football and utilising their bigger bodies in running the ball which saw a very bruising and passionate first term.
At quarter-time it was Marymount 2.2.14 just shading TSS 2.0.12.
After some inspirational words from coach Philp at quarter time TSS opened up a flood of possession and scoring opportunities in the second term but could only manage to add 1.4 to the scoreboard.
Marymount kept their noses in front and led by 5 points at half time.
With the game in the balance in the third quarter Marymount made some key changes that worked in their favour. Most notably, they played a loose man across half back to combat the TSS long kick into an open forward line.
This saw them open up an 11-point lead in a low scoring tight tussle.
Significantly, TSS had two players go down with injury which left them in damage control going into the last quarter.
With the crowd abuzz and boys giving their all the crowd was treated to an amazing last quarter of school football which left all spectators sitting on the edge of their seats.
TSS, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, threw everything at Marymount as a great battle unfolded.
An infringement from Marymount gave TSS a shot right in front 20 meters out which ended in a point and another great mark saw an identical shot missed again.
To TSS credit, the boys kept fighting end to end, physically trying everything to keep the ball moving forward. They were rewarded with a further 2.3 on the scoreboard as they held Marymount to a solitary 1.0 for the final quarter.
It was just enough for Marymount to hang on, though, winning 7.4.46 to TSS 6.8.44 in a nail-biter that provided a fantastic finish to a great season.
