Palm Beach Currumbin from Queensland were crowned AFL Northern States Cup Champions after they beat Mater Dei Catholic College from NSW in a hard fought battle.

The Northern States Cup is contested between teams from Northern Territory (Dripstone Middle School), Queensland (Palm Beach Currumbin, NSW City (Knox Grammar School - SportsReady Swans Cup winners) and NSW Country (Mater Dei Catholic College - SportsReady GIANTS Cup winners) and showcases some of the best young Australian football talent from the emerging states.

Mater Dei, representing NSW Country, came up against NSW City's Knox Grammar in the first game on Friday and got the better of the city school to win 10.12 (72) to 1.2 (8).

Knox Grammar had several key position players with Ryan Hebron standing out but it was a game where their small men dominated, as Zacharie Walgers, Jock Cornell, Brady Morton, Connor Byrnes and Stuart Carey stood out for the winners.

That win handed Mater Dei the title of NSW SportsReady Cup Champions, but the campaign was far from over for both teams as they both still had a chance to make the Northern States Cup Final if they could win their remaining games.

Mater Dei came face to face with the defending premier Palm Beach Currumbin in the next game, and was made to work hard against the well-drilled outfit.

Palm Beach Currumbin (PBC) put on a footballing clinic to win 10.6 (66) to nil with talls such as Jason Lee and Luke Dula standing out.
Mater Dei entered the last match of the day with the do-or-die scenario at the forefront of its mind, as it had to overcome Northern Territory team Dripstone to make the competition final.

Dripstone was a similar sized team to its Wagga opponent but Mater Dei used the ball well to claim a 5.9 (39) to 1.4 (10) win and qualify for the decider. Palm Beach continued to dominate the competition with comprehensive wins over Dripstone and Knox to power through to the final.

Knox Grammar struggled with the quality of the competition and finished off in last place, with Dripstone coming home in third. Dripstone had moments of brilliance throughout the group stage with Michael Hagan showing an array of talent to continue to excite the parochial crowd.

The teams all had Saturday off, and were shown around Sydney with a Harbour cruise. They also had a recovery session which included pilates, a light training session and also a presentation from the head of the AFL NSW/ACT Talented Player Program, Darren Denneman.

Sunday was a hot and windy day out at Blacktown International Sportspark, the home of the GWS GIANTS. To commence the day, Dripstone Middle School took on Knox Grammar School in the 3rd v 4th playoff.

 In an exciting game Dripstone continued to lead throughout the game only with Knox showing plenty of courage and not saying die to claw back into the match and head into the last quarter down by one point.

Dripstone edged ahead in the last with Michael Hagan a standout winning the game 14.9 (93) to 11.9 (75). In what was an exciting prelude to the final, the real drama of the day was yet to unfold. After Friday’s touchup Mater Dei were fired up and raring to go as the hooter got the game going with some sensational football. It was backed by the myriad parents who made the trip up to the final.

Mater Dei led at half time by 20 points in a low scoring encounter. With the wind picking up, and Palm Beach receiving a rev up at half time and having the wind behind them they managed to turn around the game and led by 6 points going into the last quarter with Jason Lee once again dominant.

Mater Dei tried hard in the last quarter but couldn’t overcome the deficit despite getting within one point and lost the game by 7 points in a thriller.
Congratulations to Palm Beach Currumbin, Northern States Cup winners in 2011.

Results

16th September
PBC 10-6 (66) def Mater Dei 0-0 (0)
PBC 12-7 (79) def Dripstone 0-2 (2)
Mater Dei 10-12 (72) def Knox 1-2 (8)
Dripstone 9-7 (61) def Knox 4-2 (26)
Mater Dei 5-9 (39) def Dripstone 1-4 (10)
PBC 12-4 (76) def Knox 1-1 (7)

18th September
Finals
1st v 2nd
Palm Beach Currumbin BC 6-4 (40) def Mater Dei Catholic College 5-3 (33)
3rd v 4th
Dripstone Middle School 14-9(93) def Knox Grammar School 11-9 (75)