Sport News

Last weekend saw Marist take on St Patricks College in a final hit out before the AIC season commences in earnest this week. The weather, coupled with the Australia Day weekend made it challenging for everyone so thank you to all staff, boys and parents for making the effort to get these matches played. No doubt our teams will be better for the run.

This weekend sees us travel to Villanova in what will be a challenging start for all of our sports. Villanova have been on a steady improvement across their sports program and we will need to be at our best to get the results we are after.

Commitment

One area that I wish to highlight, which has been improving, but has much work still to do, is boys missing training, and worse, missing matches. The expectation of the College is that if you have committed to playing a sport it takes priority over everything else. This includes club sport, weekends away, staying at mates houses, and so on. Similar to the uniform expectations, it is a valuable life lesson to honour a commitment when sometimes there are better options. Obviously from time to time there are extenuating circumstances that do mean boys will have to miss matches and we understand these. In this case notice should be given to the coach, the year coordinator and the sport coordinator as soon as possible explaining the absence and the reason why.

On a similar vein with training, we do have attendance issues with training. A commitment is a commitment and players need to respect the sport and their teammates by being at training unless an emergency or illness get in the way.

Any requests to miss matches or training must be approved by the relevant sport co-ordinator (or year co-ordinator in larger sports). 

Injured players are expected to attend training unless contagious with an illness.

Expectations

Start times for training are just that- not arrival times. If training starts at 3:30pm that means you are on the field with all equipment needed on ready to go, not just arriving.

Training is work time not social time. To play at your best you need to train at your best. Attitude is vital here.

All players must have the appropriate equipment for sport, such as shin pads for football, mouthguards for rugby, rugby league, AFL. 

Each boy must bring their own full water bottle with them for all training sessions and matches. Team managers will encourage the boys to drink water but ultimately players are responsible for their hydration.

All players are to shake hands/ fist bump with their opponents at the completion of the match. This is to occur before any War Cry or team celebrations occur.

Values of a Marist Athlete

COMMITMENT- We sacrifice whatever necessary to be the best we can be. Specifically, that relates to attitude to training, taking care of the small details in a professional manner, working hard and giving his best in everything we do. Coaches should educate the players in these areas, as it could be the ultimate difference. We have a low tolerance for a player who does not want to better himself both academically and as a footballer.

WORK HARD- We value hard work. Without question we demand a big effort from our players in everything they do. We apologise to no one for wanting to be the best. Working hard is the only way to achieve this goal.

LOYALTY - loyalty to each other; loyalty to the College.

DISCIPLINE - discipline to work hard; act with integrity; to accept disappointment.

SACRIFICE - in order to get, first you must give.

HONESTY - open and honest communication gives us the edge. We tell the truth so we can soar as the journey unfolds. 

GOOD HABITS - we are creatures of habit. Therefor the habits we form must be helpful. 

AIC Competition

I thought it was important to highlight the nature of the AIC competition, what it stands for, how it is organised and how that impacts, positively and negatively on us as a college.

The AIC (Associated Independent Colleges) grew from the TAS competition, starting in 1999. Next year is the 25th year of AIC competition which will see some promotion and activity around this. 

MOTTO

Learning and growth through sport and competition.

VISION

To develop good and healthy young people of character through sport and competition within a Christian context.

MISSION

The AIC will provide well-organised competitions in sport and other activities that foster participant engagement and pride in communities in a holistic Christian context. Our students, staff and families (both past and present) will nurture spiritual, moral, emotional, intellectual, physical, and social development through respectful and compassionate relationships in a safe environment.

The member schools are:

• Iona College
• Padua College
• St Edmund’s College
• St Laurence’s College
• Villanova College
• St Patrick’s College
• St Peters Lutheran College
• Marist College Ashgrove

* Ambrose Treacy College is a guest member, participating in championship sports and byes in weekly competitions as suitable.

The sports involved include:

Term 1             Cricket, AFL#, Volleyball#, Swimming

Term 2             Football, Rugby, Chess#, Cross Country#, Golf#

Term 3             Rugby League#, Basketball#, Tennis#

Term 4             Track & Field, Water Polo#, Touch*, E-Sports#*

*non-championship, carnival or trial

The obvious benefits to our College are an organised, fully developed program of sports and activities competing against like schools where we can provide opportunities for boys to develop, shine, learn and grow as young men. It has served us well over 24 years and will continue to do so into the future. It does present come challenges for us as well. The biggest is the differing sizes of the schools involved, which leads to inequity in team numbers. I have highlighted to sports that have limited team entries. 

As one of the biggest schools in the AIC, and with a healthy boarding community as well as a day population who value sport as a community, this is a significant challenge for us. I highlighted in week 3 one of the ways we can address the issue, I will not go into detail again here, except to say it is still the firm belief of the college that we want boys playing sport, we will cater for every boy that wants to play in sports that we have opportunity to play, and we will always try and find suitable opposition for every team we have. What does not work is putting our C, D and E teams up against A and B teams from schools outside the AIC competition. We understand the frustration boys and parents feel when byes or internal matches happen but Marist puts forward by far the largest number of teams across the program.

AIC Premierships and Aggregates

The AIC competition recognises a range of results and it is not just the first teams that are recognised. Yes our premier team in each sport is playing for the premiership but in all sports Year 7 to 12 A teams are playing for their own premierships and in some sports B teams are also seeking premiership success. One of the great things about the AIC is the aggregate premiership, which counts all results in A and B teams from Years 7-12. This means all matches in these divisions and year levels count towards the overall result.

In the championship sports all competitors results count towards the overall championship (cross country count the top six runners but all runners play a role) result, what primary and secondary having separate trophies.

Volleyball

Mr Patrick Denkes – Coordinator

Marist College Volleyball puts its best foot forward this week with strong results in the trial against St Patrick’s College. Nearly all teams recorded wins, showing that Volleyball is well placed for a strong season. Unfortunately, our Frist VI had a narrow loss in a 5-set nail biter. Whilst they eventually went down, our boys showed plenty of grit and determination, pushing St Patrick’s all the way.

A reminder to all MCA volleyballers to look at the training schedule on the app. It is important everyone puts in a big week of training before the season kick off on the upcoming weekend.

1st VI Match Report - Finn McCahon

On the 27th of January, the first volleyball team journeyed to Shorncliffe to compete in a friendly match agaist St Pats to round off our pre-season. With a 10am start, the whole team gathered to prepare for an exciting and heat intensive game. The first set showed a clear dominance by the MCA side with a convincing 25 to 14 win where the likes of our middles and blocking shut down our opponents. The second set was a repeated dominance where another set win (25-18) showed the greatest volleyball at hand and really expressed the hard work put in during our trainings before the season. The third set was looking to be a great finisher of the game for the MCA First VI however a strong push back by the St Pats first team in the tail end of the set worked away at our defence and gave them their first set win (25-23) of the match. The fourth set was quite back and fourth. The heat had really fatigued both sides and after many repeated match points for Marist, St pats was able to slip away with again another close set win (26-24). In the final set, Marist fought valiantely however the crowd and energy of the St Pat Firsts 6 dominated and won the final and fifth set (15-11). The game was a great display of talent and showed the exciting oppurtunity for the coming season. This weekend is the first round of the season so we look forward to seeing as many familys and friends supporting us at Villanova College Hall.

Cricket

Mr Ben Lee – Coordinator

1st XI Match Report - Will Nickelson

Last Saturday Marist headed out to the great Curlew Park with an unsure opponent at hand. Losing the toss and the home team electing to bat on what we call a genuine road we were put to a task straight away bowling in high 30-degree heat. The day started very slow with runs from Pats not coming easy and few chances glooming. We all knew we had to stay patient, and we did. With some very good bowling from our openers of Archie Murray and Joey Laner, with no wickets next to barely any runs, our change bowler Will Easter was able to capitalize quickly grabbing an early scalp leaving them 1 for 35. Being one for nothing they knew they had to consolidate. This couldn’t happen as wickets were falling in clumps and our bowlers had a day out. Marist bowlers exhibited exemplary discipline and strategic processes as they stuck to their game plans, successfully bowling pats out for a mere 138 runs in the 45th over, Their precision and capability showed the skill this unit has.

Hayes and Piper were then set out after spending a hot morning in the sun and it wasn’t a normal batting innings without the usual Frank Piper cramping. With some great power hitting piper was able to get us off for a flyer departing the crease at 1/54 after 6 overs due to cramps. From their Hayes was able to get rid of the loose ball hitting a classy 27. This meant runs were flowing easily, with all our batters getting starts apart from Nickelson. James Brandon was able to get a quick 30 off 40 balls, and Jack Watson was able to finish the game with a 17 alongside a wonderful 7 from Sam Wilcox which defeated St Pats in the 28th over. It was a great game and is promising to see what this team can bring in the season after the performance from last weekend.

Top performers:

Bowling

Frank Piper 3/27 off 8

Sam Lewis 2/27 off 10

Will Easter 2/14 off 5

Louis Morris 2/21 off 10

Batting:

Frank Piper 35 (18)

Oliver Hayes 27 (59)

James Brandon 30 (40)

Track and Field

Mr Rob Martin – Head Coach, Track and Field

Marist Athletes At 2023 National Schools Challenge Track and Field Titles, Perth

As part of the National Schools Challenge Track and Field Titles involving the best athletics teams in the country, eight Marist Senior athletes including James Prole (Old Boy 2023), Lee Martin (Old boy 2023), Joel Drew, Xavier Simms, Isaac Roach, Zac Milligan, Asher Parkin, Ben Caughley travelled to Perth to take on the best Track and Field schools in Australia in the Senior Division. Against much larger schools with specialist high performance Track and Field programs, Marist completed the 11 events as 3rd best school in Australia behind strong teams in Geelong Grammar and Trinity College (NSW). An excellent effort to take the bronze in their first year in Seniors after winning the Intermediate division in 2022. Well done to all the eight boys and coaches Rob Martin, Bill Prole, Carl Martin, Des Davis. Thanks to travelling team Managers also Toni Martin and Anita Drew. Thanks to Richard Graham for his coordination of pre-tour logistics.

Final Standings for this event:

1 The Geelong College (Vic)

2 Trinity Grammar School (NSW)

3 Marist College Ashgrove (QLD)

4 Caufield Grammar (Vic)

5 Knox Grammar (NSW)

6 St Joseph's Nudgee College (QLD)

7 The Hutchins School (Tas)

8 Quinns Baptist College (WA)

The Marist Marigold jerseys were well and truly seen representing the school with distinction and they were mentioned by stadium commentators regularly as adding colour to the day and easy to pick out our good performers - 

Notable performers included on the National Schools Challenge Team event:  

Zac Milligan - 1500m 3rd overall in a group of 16 middle distance athletes. Only 15 years and also beat school record again in 4m01

Joel Drew - 2x 3rd places in the 100m and 400m sprints

Lee Martin - 2nd Shot put - our highest individual placing.

The team managed to attain their bronze medal on depth rather than individual wins. It was a great team and despite several challenges and minor injuries during the day the boys backed up to help their team through to the dais. Great efforts all round from this group of young men.

Joel Drew: Had a magnificent meet after deservedly winning the National Championship in the u18 110m hurdles from an outside Lane 9. Joel went on to place 3rd overall in both the 100m and 400m sprints to ensure we stayed high on the points table as we pushed to stay with the top few teams. Following up with a strong 400m run in the relay Joel was key to our chances and performed incredibly well. 

Lee Martin: Our highest placing with a 2nd in the shot put against an 18 year old Trinity u20 national medallist who he kept up with for the first few rounds. Lee was strong again in the shot after winning silver for QLD at National All Schools the day before and backed it up with a solid 4th placing in the javelin with the points helping to consolidate our bronze position as we headed into the last relay event. 

James Prole: A very strong showing running a 400m PB early in the day and then backing up in the relay 800m, receiving the baton in 4th -5 th place then sitting patiently for the first lap before passing his opponent and sprinting into the finish to allow Marist to finish in 3rd place in the relay behind Geelong & Trinity matching the Top 3 placings on the Dais. A great performance after his 800m run at National All Schools.

Ben Caughley: Gave the team an early scare almost missing his first height at 1.60m before going on to adjust his runup with coaching support in the high jump to clear 1.85m and take a creditable 5th. Then moved into the long jump hitting a big PB of 6.39m to take 4th in a talented senior jumping contingent. It was a good comeback showing great resilience under pressure. Did the job we needed. 

Xavier Simms: An incredible comeback to even be sprinting after missing AIC and States with injury but jumped out of the blocks for a very strong run in the 100m to help boost our points when teams around us seemed to be struggling. Xavier went on to give us a super start in the relay with a fast 200m going past his outside runner and putting us into an excellent position to give his team a strong chance in the relay ending up 3rd overall. 

Zac Milligan: 2 runs in Perth and 2 school records (and a State record also by the way). An incredible 3km Open school record as a 15 year old running 8m40.65s surpassing the strong school record of Tom Prole, (who had run 8m51), by almost 10 seconds and surpassing the QLD 15 years record. Then to surpass his own 1500m school record of 4m03.42 to take 3rd place against 18 year old athletes in 4m01.18 was a brilliant achievement for the team from our youngest athlete. An incredible level of dedication from an athlete who does all the small things to be fit on game day – training, nutrition, physical preparation. Well done and a great effort to hold his nerve against strong competition. 

Asher Parkin: Another brilliant run in the 1500m against a field that consolidated our 3rd position overall. Against a strong Geelong College pairing Asher showed determination to stay with the pack of 5 early and run Top 6 overall in a field of 16. With these 2 strong placings in the middle distance we were able to hold on nicely to our Top 3 position and Asher had recently come back from illness/injury in November so did a fantastic job for us with a gutsy run in Perth. 

Isaac Roach: Isaac was a leader in the team this year and had to switch his events to help allow us to take strategic points in sprints and was also our ready reserve in pretty much every event. With a solid run in the 200m against the strongest 17 and 18 year old sprinters in Australia, Isaac also pushed hard in the relay keeping within striking distance of the top sprinters to allow our 400m and 800m duo of Joel Drew and James Prole to bring in a 3rd place in the relay to close out the day.

As seen in the points table, this medal was not won on first places but consistency across the day. A great effort with Geelong and Trinity just a little out of our reach this day but we were clear medallists in a stacked field.

In concluding it is not just the 8 athletes impressing but seeing the coaches, managers, the number of mums, dads, siblings turn up to watch these young men compete and support the athletes to the finish line which is a trait that Marist Ashgrove exhibits better than most. Other teams paid to bring in small support staff armies including their own physios and multiple National level coaches from the East Coast while the Marist team had a small but dedicated coaching/parental support group. Despite the speed of the day itself, the commitment started when AIC finished in October and before. This group of senior athletes have now competed twice against the best in the country and come away with a National medal each time. Well done!

Article on Athletics Australia page -

https://www.athletics.com.au/news/school-challenge-crowned-as-sun-sets-on-perth-championship/

Marist Track and Field – Social Media 

@marist_ashgrove_sports

Marist College has continued to showcase incredible moments in Track and Field again this year, from Year 5 victories to exceptional feats by our Year 12 students, all vividly captured on our social media pages.

Follow us and stay up-to-date with Marist Track and Field on Instagram - @marist_ashgrove_sports.

Rugby Union

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Marist Rugby Union | Sign On

Please go to the Marist app and see information regarding sign on. All students who wish to play Term 2 sports are asked to sign up via the student café. Once your son/s have signed up all parents or caregivers MUST approve the signup and edit or update any medical details. 

This assists the College in organising the appropriate number of coaching staff and to deliver the necessary resources.

Marist Rugby Preseason | Year 11 and 12

Please see information for Week 1 and 2, Term 1 preseason rugby union training in the Marist app.

Note the start of sessions has moved to 6:15am. The dress code for ALL sessions is Blue MCA shirt, Marist blue sports shorts, and white / blue / Marist rugby socks (see @marist_ashgrove_rugby on Instagram).

The Week 3 and 4 schedule will be released on Wednesday. Year 10 students will be offered an opportunity to begin preseason training. NOTE – if you have a commitment to a Term 1 sport, that is your priority.

Rugby Ready Program | Year 5-12

Starting in Week 5 (Monday 19 February), Marist College is delivering a 4-week Rugby Ready Program across all age groups leading into the rugby union trials. The Rugby Ready Program involves a host of measures such as physical preparation, skill development, correct and safe techniques preparing the players for contact, enforcement of game laws, and management of safety issues such as the Scrum Passport and the “MAYDAY” call.   Whilst there are a number of reasons for providing such a program, a key driver is wanting to deliver to all students a safe, challenging and enjoyable rugby union program. In order to develop the Marist College rugby players, we must give them the skills to approach the game with confidence and minimise the chance of injury.  Please see documents on the Marist app for all information including the program content, schedule and dress code. 

You will note the Opens have been allocated two options each week, however they only need attend one. 

Marist Rugby Union – Social Media 

@marist_ashgrove_rugby

In 2023 the College delivered some wonderful rugby memories through our social media pages. From the smallest bumblebees in Year 5 through to the biggest bumblebees in Year 12, all of it was captured in wonderful colour.

To stay connected with Marist rugby and with all the program’s achievements, please follow our Instagram page @marist_ashgrove_rugby.

Swimming

The first week back saw the return of familiar faces and the arrival of new talent, all converging at the poolside to mark the beginning of another exciting AIC Swimming Season. 

Marist vs Gregory Terrace

Thursday marked a pivotal moment as the Marist swimming team proudly played host to Gregory Terrace, continuing a practice that has endured for the past three years. The Marist vs. Gregory Terrace swimming meet has become an essential event to start each season and is eagerly anticipated by both athletes and staff.

Swimming Excellence

As we venture into attending more AIC Prep meets, swimmers will continue to challenge themselves to earn a spot on the final AIC Swimming Team. It is imperative for athletes to recognise that consistent training and purposeful participation are the keys to continual improvement throughout the season.

For those who may be unsure about competing on Friday nights, it's important to grasp the significance of these events in practising one's skills and understanding of competitive swimming. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to approach me. Remember, every participant contributes to the team's progress and success.

Celebrating Success

Congratulations to all the 67 athletes who showcased their ability at the BSA Sprints over the weekend! Special recognition goes to individual swimmers who secured top 10 finishes.

Samuel Mapledoram

• Brisbane Champion Boys 13yrs 50m Freestyle
• 9th Boys 13yrs 50m Breaststroke
• 8th Boys 13yrs 50m Butterfly

Chelsea Adams 

• 7th Girls 16yrs 50m Backstroke
• 6th Girls 16yrs 50m Butterfly

Samuel Altoft

• 3rd Men’s 50m Freestyle

Claudia Casson

• 5th Girls 9yrs 50m Butterfly

Emily Draper

• 3rd Girls 17yrs 50m Freestyle

Isaac Farrelly

• 10th Boys 15yrs 50m Freestyle
• 6th Boys 15yrs 50m Backstroke

Molly Flood

• 6th Women’s 50m Freestyle
• 2nd Girls 17yrs 50m Breaststroke

Jack Goyen

• 6th Men’s 50m Freestyle

Claire Gregory

• 8th Girls 9yrs 50m Freestyle
• 8th Girls 9yrs 50m Butterfly

Luca Martinuzzi

• 5th Boys 16yrs 50m Backstroke

Joshua Mason

• 10th Men’s 50m Breaststroke

Phelix Meehan

• 2nd Boys 14yrs 50m Freestyle
• 5th Boys 14yrs 50m Backstroke
• 4th Boys 14yrs 50m Butterfly

Archer Mellifont

• 2nd Boys 15yrs 50m Freestyle
• 2nd Boys 15yrs 50m Backstroke

Nicholas Osborn

• 2nd Boys 13yrs 50m Freestyle
• 8th Boys 13yrs 50m Breaststroke
• 4th Boys 13yrs 50m Butterfly

Jackson Skinner

• 10th Boys 15yrs 50m Backstroke

Lachie Vink

• 2nd Boys 16yrs 50m Breaststroke

Abigail Wild

• 5th Girls 15yrs 50m Butterfly

Edward Wild

• 4th Boys 17yrs 50m Freestyle
• 2nd Boys 17yrs 50m Backstroke

James Leigh

• 4th in the Murphy Builders Open Surf Race

 Stay informed and up-to-date

Training will persist throughout Term 1, with the training schedule conveniently accessible on our app each week. It is vital for all athletes to stay updated with this information as it encompasses details about Friday night prep meets and specific training instructions.

For any inquiries or further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at swim@marash.qld.edu.au

Draws

AFL

Cricket

Volleyball