A dominant performance across the park has handed Marsden SHS a 58-6 victory over Kirwan Bears and a chance to play for the national title.
Fullback Lashae-Armani Tonga got the ball rolling for the South East Queensland side in the National Schoolgirls Cup - Queensland final at Sunshine Coast Stadium as she dove over to open the scoring in the first half.
Marsden then ran in five tries at a steady pace to secure a 26-0 lead at the halftime break and were never headed in the one-sided win where they dominated through the middle.
While it again Marsden on the board first in the second half, Kirwan got on the scoresheet with a great individual effort from Millie Fulford who sprinted 80 metres to dive over under the posts for their only try of the afternoon.
The fullback was one of the best for the Bears in a disappointing afternoon, with her speed and efforts to create for her team.
For Marsden co-captain and player of the match Enah Desic, the team followed their game plan to ensure they’d come out on top.
“We had a game plan to come in here today and execute and play our best footy, but it wasn't as easy of a game as the scoreboard showed, the Kirwan girls put up a great fight,” Desic said.
“They were physical, but we just had to be better on the day and I think just having each other's backs and running hard and tackling harder just got the job done today.”
Marsden will now set their sights on claiming back-to-back national honours for Queensland teams when they head to Sydney on September 18 to take on Central Coast Sports College.
Marsden coach Shane Hammond was “really proud of the girls” for their all-round performance and was looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“(Our defence) has been a strength of ours all year,” Hammond said.
“Our halves and hookers are very creative and work our middles really well and look for gaps in the opposition line and really happy with how we exploited that.
“The girls are looking forward to go on and play nationals as well, so it’s going to take on some extra meaning for them as well.
Earlier in the day, Marymount College claimed the Karyn Murphy Cup honours after defeating St Joseph’s Toowoomba in a close final 16-14. Mackay SHS also played in the round robin matches to kick of Queensland’s state finals day.
