Kirwan counting on home support

Kirwan State High School is hoping a passionate north Queensland crowd can get them across the line in their National Schoolboys GIO Cup quarter final.

The boys from Townsville meet Sydney's Westfield Sport High for a semifinal berth at Jack Manski Oval tomorrow (Tuesday).

They enter the final eight as Queensland’s number one seed.

Head coach Dave Ackers said he was expecting families, students and friend to provide a vocal atmosphere in their first home game of the GIO Cup.

“We don’t want to make up the numbers, we’re definitely preparing to play well at home," he said.

“Most of our Grade 11s and 12s are allowed to go out, we’re expecting a pretty big crowd and the Townsville community has got behind us.”

The school qualified for the quarter finals with a 28-18 win over Palm Beach Currumbin in the final round of the Queensland GIO Cup competition last week.

Kirwan High trailed 14-10 at halftime, but finished strongly, scoring the last three tries to finish on top.

"The game was closer than the score indicated," Ackers said.

“It was a tight game, thought we control parts really well ... it went up and down for us but I thought we were pretty dominant and the 18-4 second half scoreline indicates that."

Five-eighth Julian Christian was awarded Man of the Match after scoring four tries.

“There were a couple of opportunist tries where he got a late offload – scored our opened try where he took the line on and went over untouched.”