Thunderstorms forced an early close to day two of the 2023 DoorDash National Youth Championships with afternoon matches abandoned and rescheduled to occur Friday morning with action returning to the fields from 8:00am AEST.
Prior to the adverse weather the rivalry continued in the 18s Boys divisions with NSW Combined High Schools (NSWCHS) performing strongly as expected throughout day two of the tournament – setting up a top-of-the-table clash with rivals Queensland Secondary Schools Touch (QSST) on Friday.
Likewise in the 18s Girls, QSST and NSWCHS continue to beat all comers with their attacking prowess – scoring fifty-four and forty-three tries respectively to date. The two powerhouse teams look likely to meet again in the finals as NSWCHS look to avenge their defeat from last year.
The South Queensland Sharks (Sharks) escaped the fangs of the Brisbane Cobras (Cobras) side in the 16s Boys, coming away with a tight 9-6 victory to retain the top position in their pool with an impressive thirty-eight try differential after two days of play. Meanwhile, the South Australian Heat will be looking to bounce back in day three after conceding sixteen tries against the red-hot Sydney Scorpions (Scorpions).
Queensland regions paved the way in the 16s Girls through the Cobras and the South West Queensland Swans, including a 17-0 shut-out by the Cobras against the Northern Territory Devils (Devils). In the other pool, the class of the Central Queensland Bulls (Bulls) pulled through against the Western Tigers, with Tamzyn Hogarth outpacing girls from all divisions with a whopping fifteen tries under her belt.
An incredible combined scoreline of 40-2 highlighted the dominance of the Cobras in the 14s Boys in day two, setting up a mouthwatering clash with the Sharks on Friday who have only dropped one match in the tournament so far. The Cobras’ Hayden Madders carried his attacking form into day two with twenty-three tries to his name to lead the Bristol Paint top try-scorer list at the conclusion of day 2.
Similarly, and in a nod to the Sunshine Coast weather, the North Queensland Tropical Cyclones blew the Victoria Storm away with a 16-0 victory in the 14s Girls with their defensive steel – and will be up for the challenge when they take on the pool-leading Scorpions on day three.
Day two of competition in the 12s Boys was highlighted by the Scorpions and the Hunter Western Hornets (Hornets) who continued their strong form in the division. The Bulls also took a powerful 17-0 victory over the Tasmania Thunder to flex their attacking muscles.
The Cobras A side stamped their championship mark with a comfortable win over the bottom-placed Devils in the 12s Girls. Conversely, the Cobras B side currently sit at the bottom of their pool leading into day three of play. The NSW Northern Eagles also contested a tight battle against the Hornets with a 2-all result and will be left asking questions after chalking up their second draw of the tournament.
Due to today’s inclement weather a rescheduled draw has been released. The updated draw can be viewed here.
Tune in from 10.25am AEST for day three action live and free on Kayo Sports in Australia and Sky Sport Next internationally.