Central Coast have kicked off their inaugural campaign in the Peter Mulholland Cup in sensational fashion thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from Isaac Fotu-Moala. Watch the REPLAY.
A three-try, six-minute burst in the first half and then a moment of brilliance in the dying stages sealed the victory for the newcomers in a seesawing contest.
The moment of the match belonged to Central Coast five-eighth Isaac Fotu-Moala.
Drawn on the scoreboard in the final minutes, the Cup newcomers needed something special. Their five-eighth obliged.
WATCH THE FULL MATCH REPLAY IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Just over half way, the five-eighth put a lovely chip over the defensive, before regathering and finding his winger Samisoni Talakai, who scored in the corner to seal the dramatic victory.
It was a horror start for the Central Coast side, who after conceding a penalty in the first set of the game also conceded the first try, with Lucas Hickling diving on an Ashton Farrell grubber to give All Saints a 4-0 lead in just the second minute.
The Maitland side were on top in the early stages, however the Central Coast team slowly started working their way into the contest and flipped the match on its head after scoring three tries in a crazy six-minute spell.
It started in the 15th minute when a grubber from Chaice Bailey rebounded off a Maitland player, only for CCSC hooker Lachlan Simpson to dive on the loose ball and score near the posts.
The next came in the first set after the kick-off, with Maitland fullback Caden Gothard dropping a towering bomb from Fotu-Moala. Andre Wisham then picked up the scraps to score, with Bailey slotting the conversion to make it 12-4.
Central Coast were now well and truly on top and making great yardage through the middle. The newcomers then scored an incredible third try in three sets when another bomb, this time from Bailey, landed between All Saints’ winger and fullback, with Fotu-Moala collecting the loose ball to score and make things 16-4.
The Maitland side hadn’t had the ball for more than eight minutes, but when they finally got their hands on it they made it count, with prop Cody Hopwood showing excellent ball skills to take on the defensive line before finding his front row partner Jack Hilliar, who strode over to score a couple of minutes before half time to make the score 16-10 at the break.
The second half was a much tighter affair, with both sides unable to capitalise on their chances to get on the scoreboard in the early stages.
However that changed with six minutes to go when Hopwood, who along with Hilliar was among All Saints’ best, crashed over from close range. Gothard slotted the conversion right in front to level things up at 16-all with five minutes to play.
Preview: Central Coast out to make a name for themselves in the Cup
The Central Coast Sports College will be out to make a name for itself and the region when the school lines up for its inaugural campaign in the Peter Mullholland Cup.
The Kariong-based college will take on All Saints Maitland in its first game at Wyong’s Morry Breen Oval on Thursday, with players and staff ready to put on a show.
The opening round clash will be exclusively live streamed at 2.15pm on KommunityTV as part of our season-long coverage of the NRL Schoolboys Cup.
“It was a big goal of ours when I first took over the program at the college to be accepted in this top-tier competition and we really want to put our best foot forward, not only for us but for the Central Coast,” said the team’s coach, former Cronulla, Canterbury and Warrington hooker Michael Sullivan.
The Central Coast Sports College’s boys’ rugby league at training. Picture: CCSC
Indeed, in order to qualify for the competition the school had to prove that it was going to be competitive, and faced off with the likes of Hills Sports High and Endeavour Sports High in trial games last year as part of that process.
“We’ve had to earn our stripes to get in and we’re really excited,” Sullivan said.
It is a particularly impressive achievement for the young school. While many of the heavyweight teams such as St Gregory’s and Patrician Brothers Fairfield have been in the competition since its inception in 1975, the College was only established in 2012, with the league program into its fourth year.
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“It’s going ahead in leaps and bounds, but this is the next part of the process,” Sullivan said.
While East Gosford’s St Edwards College has previously competed in schoolboy tournaments, the Central Coast Sports College will be the first from the region to play in the Peter Mullholland Cup since 2020, and Sullivan hopes that this can help bolster rugby league development more broadly in the region.
“I think it can attract students to our college and provide that pathway,” said Sullivan.
“It’s the elite level. We grew up watching the Commonwealth Bank Cup, as it was then known, and over the years we’ve seen players like Benji Marshall and the Fifitas coming through the schoolboy cup system.”
The Central Coast Sports College’s boys’ rugby league at training. Picture: CCSC
As for the team itself, it features a strong mix of junior rep players. While the majority play for the Central Coast Roosters in NSWRL junior rep competition, there are also a handful who are at other clubs such as South Sydney, Cronulla and Manly.
“I feel we’re a very skilful side, we’ve just got to knuckle down and take advantage of opportunities to show that skill,” said Sullivan.
“We’re on the field a lot with these guys and we’re really big on basics. We’ve only probably got six who are at the top-tier age of year 12, so we’re going to be a young side, but we’d like to show the attractive brand of footy that we can play, and combine that with that bit of grit that you also need in the rugby league space.”
All Saints Maitland will be determined to rain on the Central Coast Sports College parade on Thursday, with the school determined to improve on their 2022 campaign.
All Saints finished the pool rounds winless, but enjoyed a dramatic 10-10 draw against rivals Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School.
With the change to the pool structure in 2023, only Farrer and All Saints remain in the same pool from last season, with the addition of Central Coast and Hunter Sports High this year.
TEAM LISTS
Central Coast Sports College
1. Cooper Dean-Potaka, 2. Xavier Singh, 3. Brendan Couzens, 4. Andre Wisham, 5. Samisoni Talakai, 6. Issac Fotu-Moala, 7. Chaice Bailey, 8. Tanner Mahon, 9. Lachlan Simpson, 10. Christian Pasikala, 11. Jake Sanday, 12. Coby Thomas (c), 13. Taj Matthews, 14. Lachlan Jeffery, 15. Devonte Vaotu’ua, 16. Bailey Vaeau, 17. Dayne Jennings, 18. Tali Kolofale
All Saints, Maitland
1. Caden Gothard, 2. Lachlan Hickson, 3. Darcy Hill, 4. Darcy Jones, 5. Tom Dillon, 6. Jack Thompson, 7. Ashton Farrell, 8. Jack Hilliar, 9. Tristan Head, 10. Cody Hopwood, 11. Isaac Robb, 12. Lucas Hickling, 13. Flynn Mitchell, 14. Jackson Saville, 15. Braith O’Connor, 16. Vince Campbell, 17. Laird Young, 18. Fletcher Anlezark