College grand final at Mount Smart

Author: Richard Becht & Photosport.nz
Timestamp: Tue 6 Aug 2019, 01:13 PM

Minor premiership winner Southern Cross Campus and St Paul’s College will be centre stage at Mount Smart Stadium on Friday night when they clash in Auckland’s College Rugby League grand final (kick-off 5.40pm).

There should be a huge turnout for both teams for the decider following a great show of support from SKY TV, which has donated a total of 1000 tickets to Southern Cross and St Paul's (500 for each school).

Thanks to SKY's generosity, there should be plenty of noise and a big splash of colour with students, family and friends out in force backing their team.

After they both missed the decider last year, Friday's match-up pits the renowned rugby league nursery St Paul’s against the new force that is Southern Cross.

Southern Cross clinched the minor premiership in last week’s final round while St Paul’s beat Aorere College to claim the other grand final spot.

St Paul’s has an astonishing rugby league pedigree, producing a long list of Kiwis and Vodafone Warriors along with many others who have played on the international stage and in the NRL or the English Super League.

St Paul’s used to be perennial winners of the Auckland and NZRL national finals but those days have gone with Kelston Boys’ High School, Mount Albert Grammar School, Otahuhu College and Southern Cross all making an impact in more recent times.

St Paul’s won the Auckland final in 2017 but hasn’t succeeded at the nationals since 2012 with Southern Cross going back-to-back in that competition in 2016 and 2017.

It makes for a tantalising contest on Friday night, one which will have special interest for Vodafone Warriors wing Ken Maumalo – a Southern Cross old boy – and props Agnatius Paasi and Bunty Afoa (St Paul’s).

Almost 20 ex-St Paul’s pupils have played at NRL level for the Vodafone Warriors compared to just three for Southern Cross. More than a dozen other St Paul’s alumni have played in the NRL or Super League as well as playing at international level.

The graduates include four ex-Kiwi captains in Mark Graham (New Zealand’s player of the century), Dane O’Hara, Nigel Vagana and Stacey Jones.

In a great show of support, SKY TV has donated a total of 1000 tickets to St Paul's College and Southern Cross Campus (500 for each school). Thanks to Are you able to add a little line in there somewhere about expecting a huge turnout of students thanks to SKY’s generosity?