GIANTS Cup comes to Wagga

By James Matthey

Riverina high school students swapped books for boots on Tuesday when they took to the fields of Wagga Wagga as part of their schools’ push for GIANTS Cup glory.

The Southern NSW Final of the competition pitted schools from across the Riverina against each other in a round-robin style tournament, comprising teams of both girls and boys from a variety of age groups.

The Opens Boys title was taken out by Xavier High at Robertson Oval after they emerged triumphant from a tough pool including St Francis Leeton, Finley High and The Riverina Anglican College (TRAC), overcoming Finley High in a closely contested final.

Finley High again came agonizingly close in the Opens Girls competition, this time succumbing to a determined Kildare Catholic College outfit by 10 points in the decider at Bolton Park.

Kildare coach Matt Hope told The Daily Advertiser that the girls deserved their win after performing well in some tough conditions.

“The conditions were pretty tough and the girls just scrapped it out all day,” said Hope.

“The girls’ football is generally pretty scrappy but our continual pressure got us over the line.”

Mater Dei Catholic College were the victors in the Under-16s Boys division hosted at Maher Oval, while Kildare were too strong in the Under-14s Boys division, leaving McPherson Oval as the happier side after accounting for Wade High in the final.

Hope said that the talent and fitness in his Under-14s side was responsible for them dominating the competition.

“The boys were pushed in all their games but basically they were in front of the competition all day,” said Hope.

“I think their fitness and speed kept them clear of the other schools, and we have a couple of highly skilled midfielders in the team which helps.”

In the Under-15s Girls final, Billabong High School (Culcairn) were crowned champions on the day after they conquered Kildare, earlier defeating St Francis Leeton and Finley High in the process to reach the decider.

The GIANTS Cup is a competition designed to encourage AFL participation among students attending high schools located within the GWS GIANTS talent zones, including Southern NSW, Greater Western Sydney, the South Coast and the ACT.

The competition also gives students the opportunity to press their claims in front of GIANTS officials in the hope of progressing their AFL careers to the next level.

Each side played three games in the round-robin system before the finalists were decided, with each match consisting of two 18-minute halves.

The winner of each division will travel to Sydney in Term three where they will compete in the State Final to be played against the winning sides from the Swans Cup, a similar competition involving schools from the Sydney Swans talent zones.

GIANTS Cup Winners – Southern NSW Zone Finals:

Opens Boys – Xavier High
Opens Girls – Kildare Catholic College
Under-16s Boys – Mater Dei Catholic College
Under-14s Boys – Kildare Catholic College
Under-15s Girls – Billabong High School