History beckons for Marsden

MARSDEN State High's year 10 rugby league side has its sight set on making history today (Wednesday) by winning the school's first-ever Broncos Challenge title.

The team, which is yet to be beaten in 2010, will square off against rugby league powerhouse school, Palm Beach Currumbin in the final of the Walters Cup at Pizzey Park, Burleigh.

If they win, they will have achieved something that not even Marsden's 2006 year 12 graduates, Israel Folau, Antonio Winterstein and Chris Sandow, were able to accomplish.

Coach Joe O'Callaghan said what set this year's team apart to previous sides was that each player was able to contribute on game day.

“Just the strength of the whole group,” he said.

“The biggest difference is we're not depending on a handful of blokes.

“From one to 19 or 20, each player is strong unlike the group that had Izzy (Folau), Antonio and Chris in it.

“They're a really good talented bunch of blokes and it's pretty rare to get a good group at one time.”

The school has a string of distinguished alumni.

Until senior year, Joseph Tomane was class mates of Folau, Winterstein and Sandow, while before that Cameron Smith and Esi Tonga had also attended the school.

Following on their heels it seems is Codey Kennedy, Brenko Lee and Tomane's younger brother Jason.

Buoyed by their selection for Queensland at the under-15s national secondary schools championships in Canberra earlier this year, the trio will be hoping to lift Marsden to an historic victory today on the Gold Coast.

Earlier in the year Marsden crushed Palm Beach Currumbin 42-6, but O'Callaghan said he was expecting a much closer affair this time around.

“The biggest challenge has been keeping them grounded all season,” he revealed.

“In the first round we played PBC we put 40 (points) on them, but a lot has happened since then.

“I watched PBC play after our semi-final and they were well-drilled and had a lot of continuity.

“The boys made it this far last year and played in last year's year nine grand final against Coombabah and lost that one, so for them this year has been a bit of a year in the making.”