From the Head of Sport
Winter Sports Grand Final Weekend
Last weekend BMGS had eight teams compete in Semi-Finals. Congratulations to all teams on the effort that they put into their training and their games. Unfortunately, we cannot all be winners but the most important thing is that we give of our best. It was good to get to the Netball and Hockey games, then back to BMGS for the end of the Football games.
Congratulations and best wishes to the following teams who are in the finals this weekend:
- First VII Netball
- First XI Hockey
- 2nd XI Boys' Football
- 14 years Boys' Football
- 13 years Boys' Football
If you have the opportunity to attend the finals please ensure that you are decked out in your blue and gold!
Presentation Evenings
Winter sport presentations are coming up and I would like to remind all team captains that they need to be organising gifts for coaches. Captains also need to be liaising with MIC’s to find out what needs to be done for the smooth running of the night.
- Netball: 29th August, in Coote Hall from 5:30pm
- Hockey: 30th August, in Coote Hall from 5:30pm
- Football (Girls and Boys): 31st August, in Cuff Hall from 5:30pm
- Rugby: This will be held in collaboration with Redlands Rugby on 16th September. Details have been sent to players. Please let me know if you have any questions.
If you have any photos from the season that can be used for the presentation evening please pass these onto your MIC.
Co-Curricular Photos
A reminder to sporting teams that co-curricular photos will be taken on the Tuesday, 22nd August. All players from summer and winter teams are to wear their full sports uniform including yellow polo. If you are also a member of a Firsts team you will need to bring your full playing strip and correct footwear.
Athletics Carnival
The ISA Athletics Carnival will be held on 12th September. The team list is on the Sports noticeboard and notes have been distributed via MyBMGS. Please come and see me if there are any issues regarding the events in which you are entered.
Any students who currently participate in triple jump or hurdle events through Little Athletics can come and see me at the Sports Office for further information.
If you do not have a BMGS Basketball or Athletics singlet you will be required to hire one from the Uniform Shop. All athletes are to wear navy shorts or tights to compete.
Mrs Megan Harris
Head of Sport
Match Fixtures - Saturday, 12th August
Mrs Megan Harris
Head of Sport
Match Reports, Saturday, 12th August - Boys' Football Semi-Finals
BMGS U13s
No Semi-Finallast Saturday - straight through to the Finals next weekend!
BMGS U14s drew with St Spyridon's Round 10 (5/8/23)
The boys had already qualified for the final series due to their excellent season and played their final main season game against St Spyridon, who will potentially be the team they face in the Semi-Final. Although the end result was a nil all draw, this was one of the best team performances from the boys all year. The passing, running off the ball to create spaces and positive team work across the park was fantastic. The boys created several chances in the first half that on any other day would have resulted in goals, the Spyridon keeper was having the game of his life stopping everything that was on target. Marvelous wing play and central midfield control generated chances for our strikers. Henry beat about four players before getting a shot on target, only for the keeper to palm it out for a corner. Our new corner formation and set plays were used and although they didn’t result in goals, these will help generate chances in the final series. The second half was a continuation of the first, with BMGS totally dominating possession and it was only on the rare occurrence that our defence was threatened. The constant communication of Xavier J playing in the sweeper position really set the platform for solid defending across the team and ensured another clean sheet was achieved. Special call out to Orlando for a super run down the left wing which led to the best chance in the second half, where Alton had a great shot once again parried away by the opposition keeper. Playing with a full squad meant that several rotations were made throughout the game and it is awesome to see the boys agility in being able to seamlessly connect and play as the team formation changed. We are all pumped for the Finals and are looking forward to having a big crowd providing positive support for the team.
Mr Chris Johnson, Coach
BMGS U14s defeated St Spyridon's, 1-0 Semi-Final
A nil all draw the previous week meant the boys finished the season in second place, a mighty achievement! St Spyridon, who the boys had played out a nil all draw with in the final regular season game was the opposition in the elimination Semi-Final. The boys took the lessons from our draw last week and honed their tactics at training, playing a game against the Girls' First team. Thank you to Coach Sam and the girls for the great hit out and sorry the weekends result did not go your way. In front of a raucous local support the boys ran onto the field through a tunnel of Alumni and players from other BMGS teams that had played earlier in the day. If the boys were not already up for the game, this would certainly have pumped them up and it showed the great connection between all the BMGS teams. St Spyridon came with a game plan to pack the defensive line and hope for opportunities on the counter attack. We had prepared for this and the midfield and attackers in our team knew what they had to do to unlock this tight defence. BMGS controlled possession of the ball, with Xavier S, Jimmy and Kit ensuring any loose balls were won by BMGS in the middle of the park. Luke, Josh, Dante, Orlando and Sam were constant threats on the wings, tackling solidly and always providing an avenue down the wings for an attacking raid. Henry, Riley and Alton were amazing up front, unlocking the opposition defence with quick triangle formation passing to create scoring opportunities. As the half was coming to an end, Alton picked the ball up just inside the opposition half and beat three or four opposing players before powering a shot with his golden left foot into the bottom right corner of the net, leaving the keeper no chance. 1-nil to BMGS at half time!
A quick drink, a few snakes and a combined team pep talk had the boys ready to put in 150% in the second half. As the coach, I loved watching how the boys have come together throughout the season to motivate and provide each other positive feedback. The second half was a continuation of the first, with BMGS continually threatening the opposition's goal. As happened in the first half, an opportunity opened up down the left flank and Henry rattled a shot against the post at such velocity the ball nearly ended up in Wentworth Falls Lake. Our defensive line of Jaiden, Mitchell, Dante, Quidam, Tom and Xavier J were the solid foundation for our win, ensuring all opposition attacking raids were extinguished immediately. They constantly put their bodies on the line and keeping another clean sheet was an awesome achievement, especially as St Spyridon pushed more and more players up front as the game wore on. As the clock ticked down, the BMGS chant started on the sideline and this support provided the boys the energy to see out the second half and win the game 1-nil. The Under 14s are heading to the Grand Final!
The grand final is to be played at Western Sydney Wanderers, Gate B, 81 Eastern Road Rooty Hill this Saturday. If you are free, come down and cheer the boys on as they battle it out for the title. Whatever the result this Saturday, the BMGS community should be extremely proud of this team. The spirit the boys have shown on and off the field has been exemplary.
Mr Chris Johnson, Coach
BMGS Second XI defeated Oxley 2s, 7-1, Semi-Final
The Boys' Second XI were back on home soil for a big Semi-Final matchup against Oxley College. The boys finished in 2nd place on the leader board and have been in magnificent form all season. BMGS took control early. Callum was loud and clear in his communication, as Ben led the backline alongside Cooper, with Charlie Monks and Otto from the 15s. Jem, Laurits and Jed linked up in the midfield, with Tom, Charlie and Monty up front.
BMGS dominance was in full swing. Laurits opened the scoring with a brilliant shot that rifled into the back of the net. BMGS won the ball back again from the kickoff and, after some brilliant defensive efforts from Jem in the midfield, Laurits was through on goal once again, dancing through the Oxley defence and smashing home another goal to double our lead. Oxley weren’t giving up easily as they came out strong from the restart and got one back from an incredibly skilful but one in a million chance of a goal. Not dropping their heads, BMGS continued to take back control. A quick sub saw Nathan slide comfortably into our backline and make an instant impact in our defensive efforts. Callum kept his cool in goal and pulled off some strong saves, keeping the threat of an Oxley equaliser at bay.
Laurits etched his name into the scoresheet once again and we ended the first half with 3 goals to Oxley’s 1.
The halftime talk was quick and short, with the boys coming together eager to get the job done. From the whistle BMGS came out even more strongly, pressing hard into the Oxley half and forcing them onto the back foot. Applying the pressure into the box, skipper Charlie Mannes was fouled and a penalty kick was awarded. Charlie smashed it past the keeper with ease, putting us up 4-1. Oxley began to tire, and our boys took advantage, holding majority of possession. Individual skill from Tom and Charlie saw Oxley become reckless with their efforts to stop our attacking advances. A foul on Tom saw us awarded a freekick. Jem whipped the ball into the box only for young Otto Umbers to score a goal from a deflection - his first goal for the Second XI! Oxley began to back off and continued to allow us to press into their half with ease. More chances came and went for both Thomas and Charlie but it was Monty who found himself in the right place at the right time. Monty placed his name twice on the scoresheet with two brilliant goals (his second double in two games) to see BMGS win the match and earn their spot in the Grand Final!
Well done boys: another big win and a very important one, THROUGH TO THE GRAND FINAL! You boys have worked so hard for this and you deserve this so much. Let’s go, boys; you have got this! Man Of The Match - Laurits (Hattrick Hero) Leraand
BMGS Boys' First XI were defeated by St Paul's Grammar School, Semi-Final
The Boys' First XI finished the regular season undefeated, taking home the Minor Premiership. They met St Paul’s at home for the Semi-Final over the weekend and, from the kick-off, came out strongly. Upon our boys losing possession, St Paul’s came out firing, taking control of the game and putting BMGS on the backfoot. St Paul’s had come with a plan to win and a stronger team than they fielded in our previous meetings. The first 15 minutes saw St Paul’s dominate the park, taking advantage of our errors. They scored a lucky goal from the counter to open the scoring BMGS 0 - St Paul’s 1. The boys were visibly shocked and frustrated as they knew that they hadn't played the football they set out to showcase. From the restart BMGS worked hard to take back control of the game. Now a goal down, the team were trying their bests to find an equaliser. Some brilliant individual skill from Xavier, Max, Jett and Will Grono in attack saw us come close to getting one back. Our efforts fell short as the first half came to an end.
Back in the sheds, the halftime talk was loud but positive, with the team understanding that they had let St Paul’s get the better of them. The whistle sounded and BMGS came out stronger, desperate to get back into the game. Isaac, Trin, Will Zakis and Connor all worked tirelessly in defence, shutting down the attempts for another St Paul’s counter attack. Glimmers of hope came once again from Jack Robeson's work in between the sticks. Flynn, Oliver and Jaiden all came so close to getting us back on level terms but St Paul’s held on and kept us out. Big efforts from Jaxon, Richard and Bill in defence; they all did their best to keep any threat away. With only 20 minutes to go, St Paul’s were still putting up a hard fight. After an unfortunate mix up in the back, Jack was sadly sent off the pitch, taking us down to ten men. St Paul’s scored from the penalty spot, making it BMGS 0 - St Paul's 2. BMGS had done all they could as they bounced back with an excellent goal from Max. In the final ten minutes we twice came close to scoring again. However, without the use of goal line technology, the final whistle came without a win.
This was a truly heartbreaking game that has sadly brought to an end our fairytale season. Saturday just wasn’t our day. That is life. You have shown humbleness in defeat, and we all know how much this has meant and hurt. Boys, regardless of this game, everyone at BMGS, your friends and family are so incredibly proud of you and what you all have achieved this year as a team and as individuals. You have won the hearts of many through the beautiful game of Football. Do not let this one game take away ANYTHING from what you have accomplished this year; this one game will not define you or our incredible season. The 2023 Undefeated Minor Premiers, as your coach, words will never describe how proud I am of this team. Your loyalty to this school, this team and your coach speaks volumes. Hold your heads high gentleman. Thank you for the best season of football EVER! Goal Scorers - Max Anicic 1. Man Of The Match - Jett Fendall
Mr Cameron Flaherty, Coach