Ex-Australian
Schoolboys to Guide
Young Queenslanders' Campaign
For
the first time, two ex-Australian Schoolboys will lead the
Queensland campaign
at the Secondary Schools' Open National Championships at Tweed
Heads in July.
Palm Beach -
Currumbin's Rod Patison was vice-captain of the first Australian
Schoolboys in 1972, and will coach the Queensland Open side this
year. Among
players from the team of '72 who soon became prominent on the
senior league
scene were Royce Ayliffe, Craig Young, Ian Schubert, Les Boyd and
Robert Finch.
Rod played more than 200 first grade games for NSW Country clubs
and divisions.
To add a
touch of irony to his story, Patison gained selection for the
Australian
Schoolboys from New South Wales Combined High Schools. In fact he
was honoured
with a CHS 'Blue', awarded to the most outstanding CHS players.
At 7pm 30 June at
Ipswich, Rod will send his Maroon troops into battle against the
traditional 'enemy',
and the team which provided him with some memorable rugby league
experiences.
The Ipswich 'test' is a precursor to Queensland's campaign at the
Open Nationals.
Rod was
raised and attended school at Wollongong in the Illawarra
district of NSW.
After becoming a teacher in his home state, he obtained a
'temporary' three-day
transfer to Palm Beach High School on the Gold Coast. The
Education Department
representative granting the 'temp' was none other than former
test halfback Cyril
Connell, these days recruitment officer for the Brisbane Broncos.
Even then, Cyril had
a flair for spotting the talent. That was 15 years
ago. Since then Rod Patison has been
dedicated to developing our young men through their involvement
in rugby league.
Runcorn SHS
teacher Scott Czislowski toured England and France with the
1979 Australian Schoolboys, and will be the Queensland Open
team's trainer. With
Scott on the tour of '79 were future stars like Billy Noke, Glen
Mortimer, David
Brooks, Ben Elias, Brett Le Man, Andrew Farrar, Tony Rampling and
Gavin Payne.
From 1980 to 1987 Scott played first and reserve grade for the
Valleys club in Brisbane.
Leading
Queensland's tilt at the 15 Years' National Championships in
Darwin a week
before the Opens, will be the North Queensland Cowboys' inaugural
coach Grant Bell.
These days a teacher at Kirwan SHS in Townsville, Grant last year
coached Northern
region to a stunning victory at the 15 Years' state championships
at Kingaroy, and
repeated the effort for Northern this year at Open level on 23
May at Kougari Oval.
Bell is also
coach of the Queensland Resident's side which beat New South
Wales'
Residents in a curtain-raiser to the first State of Origin. Prior
to leaving for Darwin,
the Queensland 15s will play New South Wales Combined High
Schools in another
'test' at Dolphin Oval Redcliffe on Tuesday 22 June at 7.00pm.
Other State
appointments also decided at the QSSRL meeting in March were:
Open team manager - David Seeley, Wynnum SHS
15 Years' team manager - Mark Nunan, Cavendish Road SHS
15 Years' trainer - Peter Elmore, Clairvaux Mackillop College
Open selectors - Paul Pyers, Kelvin Grove SHS; Roy Nott, Allora
SS
15 Years' selectors - Matt O'Hanlon, Blackwater SHS; Jeff Pratt,
Mansfield SHS
