A double to rampaging forward Narason Moorcroft-Kose has kept Mareeba’s Aaron Payne Cup finals hopes well and truly alive. Watch the REPLAY of their shock win over Mackay State High.
Mareeba SHS has had the clash with Mackay State High circled since they first entered the Payne Cup in 2022, and while they fell short last year they made no such mistake in their sophomore campaign as they ran out 22-4 winners.
WATCH THE FULL MATCH REPLAY IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Moorcroft-Kose, who with Mareeba SHS captain Tyrone Williams is part of the town’s FNQRL A-grade side, the Gladiators, scored two powerful tries as his team made Payne Cup history.
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Both came in similar fashion, as he carried the footy into heavy traffic then carried three or more defenders over the line to bag four-pointers which laid the platform for the historic triumph at Townsville.
Fellow Gladiators A-grader, prop and captain Tyrone Williams, was instrumental in the build-up to Mareeba’s other tries, the goalkicking forward breaking through the line and proving a handful for the rival defence every time he ran the football.
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Centre Reece Boyle showcased his brilliant pace in scoring two great tries to bolster Mareeba’s big lead.
The result is massive in the context of the Payne Cup finals pursuit given Mackay was tipped to be among the contenders in Pool B.
Mareeba’s brilliant win means they move to equal second on the ladder with Mackay, while St Augustine’s College are clear atop the table ahead of their crucial double points clash with Mackay next week.
Earlier, Mackay came from behind to win the Cowboys Challenge game 16-12.
REPLAYS
Cowboys Challenge Round 2 – Mackay SHS v Mareeba SHS
Preview: Mareeba ready for must-win encounter
Mareeba State High had already eyed their second round clash with Mackay State High as a potential win which could shape their sophomore Payne Cup campaign.
Now, it’s become must-win.
The Tablelanders traded early jabs with newcomers St Augustine’s College in their season-opener at Davies Park last week before they succumbed 36-4 to the Cairns school.
Only the top placegetter in Pool B will progress to the finals, and the weight of the 32-point loss means every game has become all the more important for Mareeba.
But coach Clinton Cifuentes won’t be piling that pressure on his young side.
The focus will be on living and playing in the moment, and finding the way to avoid being overawed by the occasion.
“We had a good talk about that game, and about not letting the occasion get to us,” Cifuentes said.
“They must’ve played that game in their heads about 50 times before the time actually came to play.
“We don’t have any injuries, a few legs might be a bit sore so we had some light runs and talked about a few things, like our intensity.
“We had a bit of a brutal catch-up and chat about the game, they know what went wrong and our aims for Mackay.”
Jaffahl Skillington scored two tries in Mackay’s 30-4 win against Payne Cup newcomers Holy Spirit College in a Sugar City derby last week, and are keen to improve to 2-0 and at least a shared lead of the Pool B table.
Mackay beat Mareeba in their first clash last year, and the Tablelanders are keen to exact revenge as they search for their first win in the competition.
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