By Tania Phillips
A Warwick-Cowboy laden Toowoomba Rugby League Clydesdales representative team has taken out this years XXXX 47th Battalion Memorial Trophy at Kingaroy and South Burnett at the weekend.
The Clydesdales, mentored by Cowboys and Queensland Country coach Col Speed, remained undefeated to win the event for the second year in a row beating Sunshine Coast Falcons 12-4 in the final.
On day one of the two-day event, which featured representative teams from throughout Southern/Central Qld, they beat Gladstone Raiders 44-4 before their closest game of the tournament where they defeated Rockhampton Rustlers 33-22.
The Cowboys featured strongly over the two days with Joseph Vite running in three tries and being named both player of the final and carnival while Caleb Murphy kicked five conversions and Jake Speed ran in four tries including two in the final.
Coach Col Speed was full of praise for the side – which included a few last-minute call ups.
“We had a few players pull out at the back end of the week and a few players got called in and we just readjusted and adapted,” he said.
“We left here Friday got there and there was a few dramas with accommodation but once we all settled down. We played Saturday morning and had a good win over Gladstone which was a good start. Then we played Rocky in the second game, they were fairly aggressive and came out all guns blazing. We came away with another win but it was a bit tighter than I would of liked. We shot out to a good lead and then decided to defend the lead rather than attack the lead.
“The boys went through the recovery process and did everything right on Saturday night and we got to play Sunshine Coast in the grand final.
“They got up four-nil but we struck back and thanks to Jake Speed we got a late try in the first half in the left- hand corner. We only had 12 men at the time we had one in the sin bin at that stage. Then Lenny Thompson, a young fella from Gatton put his hand up to be winger and put his hand up to kick the goal from the sideline. He nailed it from the sideline which allowed us to get up 6-4 which was a massive turning point in the game. It deflated the opposition a little bit and it obviously made us more mentally better off in the second half. We were toing and froing pretty well in the second half and defended like our lives depended on it. We were on the back end of a pretty heavy penalty count. But then we were lucky enough again that Jake Speed found the tryline down the corner and once again it was a really tough conversion in terribly windy conditions but Lenny nailed it again.”
He said the whole team was fantastic despite doubts from the wider league community that they weren’t the favourites and a different team from last year.
“But this was just a great bunch of young men and then they all wanted to defend for each other and play for each other led by Blake Mara,” he said.
“Blake Mara’s (who plays for Dalby) leadership was excellent on and off the field.
“Everyone did their job and not only on the field but off the field. Our support staff working on blokes 24-7 and looking after them and making sure the were right to go.
“Out of our boys I think Brock Patti was a late inclusion but he was outstanding, he got two tries in the second game and Thomas Bell was good -always does his job on the edge, Joseph Vite got player of the carnival and series, Jake Speed scored four tries and Caleb Murphy was outstanding in the first game and he basically in the other game we gave the other halfback the opportunity and he excelled while he was there so he and Caleb were on rotation in the final and he did a really good job.”
Speed said the secret of their success was the adaptability of the players, putting in big efforts and playing well despite being out of position.
The carnival was also a chance for Speed and the other Qld Country selectors to have a look at the central and southern players ahead of picking the Country team to take on City later this year in Brisbane. The team will be selected in the next week and named in two weeks time.
With no more representative football until September all efforts will be centred on club football with the undefeated Cowboys facing a tough run home in the Toowoomba Rugby League A grade taking all the teams in the running for the finals over the next five weeks. This weekend they host Souths at Father Ranger Oval on Sunday afternoon.
