Sth Qld are National U16 Indigenous champs again
South Queensland has won the Santos National U16 Indigenous Championships for the second year running, defeating North Queensland 15-5 in the final on the Gold Coast.
Both teams finished undefeated in their pool matches on Sunday, before meeting in the final on Monday.
A total of 14 Queensland players made the national squad of 25, which will tour New Zealand before competing in Division 2 at the ARU U16 National Championships to be run at Nudgee College in September.
Another two Queensland players were selected as shadow players for the squad.
The Queensland success was a reward for the work done by QRU development staff on their statewide Indigenous Rugby Program, which included the staging of major coaching and trial days in Mackay and Brisbane to select the North Qld and South Qld teams.
The Santos National Championships are conducted by the Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team and this year included six teams - North Qld, South Qld, Northern NSW, ACT/Southern NSW, Northern Territory and, for the first time in 2008, a Combined States team which also included a small number of Queensland-based players.
The Queensland players selected in the national team were:
Michael Murphy - Mackay SHS
Robert Kennedy - Ipswich Grammar School
Corey Carlson - Clontarf Beach SHS
Connie Pearson - Brisbane Boys College
Nicholas Harrold - Palm Beach Currumbin
Morris Hodges - St Mary’s, Cairns
Edan Campbell-O’Brien -Townsville Grammar School
Liam Law - Gladstone
Joel Marama - Trinity Bay SHS, Cairns
Dustyn Chirgwin - Emmaus College, Rockhampton
Keron Kolo-Buckle - Balmoral SHS
Denzel Mooney - Emmaus College, Rockhampton
Kane Fuller - Ipswich Grammar School
Emmanuel Bell - Villanova College
Shadow players:
Laurie Elisala - Marist College, Ashgrove
Bazie Jacko - Mackay Christian College
