Draw for Football Nationals announced

Can Hamilton Boys' High School defend their title?

The draw for the 2018 Lotto Premier Boys First XI Football tournament at Avonhead and Yaldhurst Parks, Christchurch have been announced.  

The 32-strong field includes the Top Four from last year: Hamilton BHS, Sacred Heart College, Nelson College and St Thomas of Canterbury College in addition to Auckland Premier League leaders St Kentigern College, perennial powerhouse Mount Albert Grammar School and 2017 Wellington winners St Pats Town - who won’t defend that title this year after a series of upsets in the capital.

Hamilton BHS (Super 8 champions) and St Thomas (leaders in Canterbury) appear to be the strongest contenders to prevent an Auckland School from winning. Only six times since the inception of the competition in 1978 has a school South of the Bombay’s prevailed, but that’s happened twice in the last three years.

Nelson College (2015 champions), Tauranga Boys’ College (Waikato/Bay of Plenty Champions) and Sacred Heart (winners three times in the past five years) appear to be the other strong contenders.

The tournament runs from the 3rd to the 7th of September 2018.

The Pools

Pool A: Saint Kentigern College, St Peter's, Cambridge, Macleans College, St Andrew's College

Pool B: Sacred Heart College, New Plymouth BHS, St Patrick's College Town, Lincoln HS

Pool C: Westlake BHS, Francis Douglas MC, Wellington College, St Thomas CC

Pool D: Auckland Grammar School, Hamilton BHS,  Waimea College, Christchurch BHS

Pool E: Mt Albert GS, St Paul's Collegiate, Hutt International Boys, Cashmere HS

Pool F: Avondale HS, Napier BHS,  Nelson College, Kings High School

Pool G: King’s College, Palmerston North BHS, St Patrick's College, Silverstream, Wakatipu HS
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Pool H: St Peter's College (Auck), Tauranga BC, Scots College, Burnside HS