2011 has been very busy year for the Rugby League Academy. Our teams have competed with distinction both at home and around the state. Once again we have collected a number of trophies for our year 8, Under 15 and Open teams including The Mick Shew Shield (Mr Ottaway’s Year 8’s) and the Booka Primrose Shield (Mr Billing’s U/15’s) both with victories over Mercy College.

Mr Doyle’s open team also secured the Col Grosskreutz Shield with victory over St Pat’s in the Division 2 final at the junior league grounds.

In the coveted Terry Hayes Shield for the best open school team in the district we were defeated by St Patricks College for the first time in a series decider in five years.

St Pats deserved their win with a good performance in a keenly contested final. If we want to win the trophy back we have a lot of work to do between now and next season.

In June a group of year 11 and 12 students with Mr Ottaway, Mr Dell and Mr Billings travelled to the Gold Coast for the Brisbane Bronco’s Country Carnival, eventually suffering a narrow defeat in the final. Our team was joined by four exchange students from Castleford Academy in England who were linking with us for eight weeks to sample our way of life and work with our school coaches.

Eight other exchange students from Wakefield’s Outwood Grange Academy and from Hull’s Archbishop Sentamu Academy also attended our school for an extended period to taste the experience of our Rugby League Academy program.

The players from Archbishop Sentamu Academy – Hull lead by coaches Mr Tony Elvin and Danny Beardsmore were Craig Corbin (Skirlaugh Bulls), Danny Cadden (Trust Lambwath Lions), Kurtis Davidson and Nathan Grant (West Hull).

The players from Outwood Grange Academy Wakefield were Thomas Consterdine (Shawcross Sharks), Brandon Conway (Shawcross Sharks), Chad Moss (Methley Warriors), and Josh Kittrick (Methley Warriors).

The players from Castleford Academy joined for a time by Chairman of Governors Mr William Clift and Head of Soprts Mr Lee Homes were Mason Tonks (Leeds Rhinos scholarship) Jack Miller (Featherstone Rovers scholarship) Brad Hey (Castleford Tigers scholarship) and Lewis Young.

2011 was an England Tour year and for the third time we followed in the footsteps of our 2007 and 2009 rugby league tours. Traveling together were 21 students, Kyle Krisanski – Kennedy, Blake Atherton (Mirani SHS), Tyler Heading, Ryan Sainsbury, Nathan Benson, Zach Schill, Ben Ivey, Baeden Flynn, Kyle O’Brien, Damon Stokes, Jacob Pinyon, Corey Neilson, Lane Grayson, Cody Simpson (Calen SC), Brad Simpson (Calen CS), Adam Lucas, Andrew Warren, Mark Jorgenson, Jackson McCormack, Cody Cocup, and Damon Mooney. Also traveling with the group were teachers My Billings, Mr Dell, Mr Doyle and Mr Esau, who makes the tour for the third time.

Two parents also helped on the trip, Mr Krisanski and Mr Flynn. The team played games in Wakefield, Castleford, Hull, Rochdale and London.

No other school rugby league program in Australia offers a tour of this quality, a once in a lifetime opportunity for any young player to travel and play in the UK.

While there we visited Super league games, museums, theme parks, historic castles, schools and many other tourist attractions like the London Eye and The Tower of London. The 2013 tour will be available to any current Year 8 and 9 students who confirm their intention to continue their rugby league course through their senior years (11 and 12) at our school.

One of our students and our head coach deserve special mention this year. Regan Grieve was selected in the Under 15 Capricornia representative team which went on to win the state titles with our own Mr Nathan Doyle as coach.

This is a major achievement for Mr Doyle in what is arguably the most keenly contested of all Queensland School sports. Also in 2011 Mr Doyle was invited to coach the North Queensland Marlins for the first time, an achievement that reflects huge credit on his ability putting him up there with the very best of coaches currently working in Queensland schools. Well done Mr Doyle!

From the Queensland Championships Regan was selected in the Queensland team to contest the Australian titles in Perth. Although his Queensland team were narrowly defeated in the final, Regan’s performances at the carnival earned him a spot in the Australian ‘merit’ team named at the closing ceremony.

Even though Regan has decided to move on from our school, and we wish him well at his new school, we are proud to know that he will not be able to achieve any higher honours in the schoolboy game than he has with the support of our friendly staff and students here at Mackay High.

Another of our students to reach high representative honours this year was Kellen Jenner who made Mr Doyle’s U/15 Capricornia team as a 14 year old. A great year for this exciting talent was capped with his selection in the under14 Queensland team. Well done Kellen.

Other notable representative honours in 2011 have come to:
o Kalyn Ponga U/13 North Queensland Representative Team
o Sam Downes U/13 North Queensland Representative Team
o Moeses Uliviti U/14 North Queensland Representative Team
o Zach Schill U/15 Capricornia Representative Team
o Kyle Kriskanski-Kennedy U/16 North Queensland Representative Team
o Kyle O’Brien U/16 North Queensland Representative Team

This is also an opportunity to recognise the enormous contribution of two of our Academy staff who are moving on in 2012.

Mr Glenn Ottaway will be taking over the Chief Executive role at the Mackay Cutters and Mr Andrew Dell is taking some time out to enjoy some travel in Europe.

This is a very exciting opportunity for Mr Ottaway whose undoubted organisational and personable coaching skills have been a real benefit for the Academy over his time here.

We are all looking forward to maintaining close contact with him in his new role and invite Mr Dell to come home to MSHS when the money runs out. Both these popular and talented teachers will be missed as we move into 2012 but we are sure that some equally keen and capable teachers will move in to take up the challenge.

The Academy coaches would like to acknowledge these students who have worked hard in the program since they arrived in Year eight five years ago.

Evert Taylor Hanson, Brydon Sutton, Aaron Ward, Josh Wallace, Matt Turton, Eden ‘Cletus’ Duffy and Hamish Walding, we thank them for their loyalty and commitment and wish them all the best in the future and hope they remember with pride the MILTON call and the camaraderie and good times we enjoyed together.