Woodridge steals victory at the death
THEY did it the hard way, but Woodridge State High School has become the first Logan school to win the Greater Metropolitan Secondary Schools Rugby League Open Cup, beating Morayfield 22-20 last Wednesday.
Trailing 20-16 with less than a minute on the clock, Woodridge lock, Sefa Fiso crashed over the line and AJ Mulitalo slotted home the winning conversion to steal victory away from reigning premiers Morayfield.
The core of the group was apart of the 2007 Year 10 Metropolitan Cup win.
But coach, David Allen said last Wednesday's history-making victory at Kougari Oval, Wynnum, topped that.
“This is something they are going to remember for the rest of their lives,” he said.
“They've worked very hard coming to school at six in the morning to train on the frosty grass in winter.
“I'm really glad they got the reward.
“I've been here (Woodridge State High School) for more than 20 years and this is one of the biggest things the school has ever achieved.”
In an entertaining grand final, Woodridge were languishing 20-12 down with six minutes remaining, before the defining moment of the grand final came when a desperate Josh Papalii chased down a Morayfield player, who was on course to score.
The Queensland under-18 schoolboy representative changed the momentum of the game with the try-saving tackle.
On the rebounding set, an inspiring run by Woodridge prop, Steve Liki, was the catalyst for the first of two tries for Woodridge in the space of five minutes.
The stunning victory capped an outstanding year for Woodridge's rugby league program.
The school's year 10 rugby league team's campaign came to an end in the semi-finals.
Woodridge State High School's rugby league players received extra mentoring from Souths Logan Magpies coaches, Mark Tookey - a former Woodridge student - Brian Edwards and Jim Looke throughout the year.
