Sport News

It was wonderful to have boys back active in sport last weekend across the entire College. You may be interested to know that we played matches against every AIC school with the exception of St Patrick’s College on a big weekend for sport. We started with a home swim meet on Friday night. Thank you to Christine Baillie, James Boyce and the swim staff for putting on such a well-organised event. It ran like clockwork and gave the team a valuable hit out with the AIC championships approaching. The 1st XVIII had a tough match against Ambrose Treacey, filling in the draw for St Edmund’s College, going down closely in a competitive match. This game will benefit the boys for the upcoming matches for points. Saturday morning saw the program in full swing with games across Brisbane in AFL, cricket and volleyball. Congratulations to all teams involved. The 1st VI volleyball had a convincing victory to get their season off and running and the 1st XI cricket boys played very well and maintained their high standards throughout what was a very good win.

It was great to see so many boys supporting across the weekend. It is a reflection of school culture to see so many boys cheering on the teams. This was very much appreciated by the boys and the enthusiasm has impressed me as a newcomer to the College. With the new school year, it is timely to look at our expectations as a College. Firstly, all boys must be in the correct school uniform, and wearing it correctly, with shirts in and socks up. This means boys who play earlier in the day will need to change into their uniform. The second point is that we must make sure that our conduct is beyond reproach. As a College, we stand for positive cheering. That means that our focus needs to be on what our team does, and we support positive play. We should never cheer opponent mistakes and we certainly need to make sure we are not targeting individuals in the other school’s team. We also need to make sure we comply with the expectations of each sport. As an example, we should never be calling out during a point in tennis.

Volleyball – Mr Adam Knight

Round 2 saw Ashgrove take on St Eddie’s with the Year 10s to Opens playing at home. The program had a successful day with all teams except two coming through with victories. Notable performances were from our Year 10 teams, who performed solidly across the three teams, and Year 7 teams who all fought hard with their first match for the Blue and Gold. 

The Open 1st VI registered a win from our first official match for the season against a spirited SEC side. With both teams down on troops due to COVID-19 and injuries, our boys picked up their defensive game to shut down Eddie’s primary options and come away with the win. This week sees a massive double-header, with our postponed Round 1 match against SLC on Tuesday, and the title-favourites (alongside SPLC) VNC on Saturday.

Can I remind all players to make sure they are in the correct uniform – MCA Volleyball jersey, plain blue PE shorts, and MCA sport socks only. I look forward to seeing everyone around the courts this Saturday as we take on the might of VNC. 

This Saturday’s matches at Villanova have some restrictions for spectating in Goold Hall. Only one parent per player for all games from Year 10-12. There are 2 parents per player allowed for the first game. No student spectators except the 1st game may have up to 20 students per College spectating. Please use the COVID-19 check-in, wear a mask and social distance. 

Volleyball Results - Round 2 v SEC

Rugby – Mr Bryan Rademeyer

We are very excited to be able to launch a new initiative this year in rugby union for Years 7-10. As a College we are very fortunate to have had a number of Old Boys go on with their rugby union after school and play at significant levels. We are obviously very proud of this tradition, and what we are even more proud of is that they want to give back to the College. A group of Old Boys are providing quality, position-specific skills training over five weeks in Term 1. The program is free but all boys must be registered to be able to join. 

Dates: 16, 23 February, 2, 9 and 16 March

Location: The Flats

Times: 6:30-7:15am Year 7/8; 7:15-8:00am Year 9/10

Click here to register: Term 1 Rugby Skills Clinic

Skills set vs. position:

• Ball skills
• Feet work
• Kicking (if applicable) incl goal kicking
• Tackling (not defence)
• Support play/speed

*Players to bring their own ball.

Cricket – Mr Mitch Reid

It was great to finally get the AIC cricket season underway over the weekend. Firstly, I want to thank all our coaches for their great effort in coaching the teams. This is starting back in Term 4 with the preseason and trial process. For season 2022, the College is again very well represented across all year levels, with 36 teams taking the field over the weekend.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be an AIC cricket season without the interruption of rain, with poor weather affecting a number of games in the afternoon. In total MCA won 16 out of 27 matches, with 9 games being washed out. 

It was a special occasion at McMahon Oval with our 1st XI hosting St Edmund’s College. The team had no less than nine students make their debut for the 1st XI. MCA Old Boy and 2021 1st XI captain Jacob Kumaru presented the students with their baggy blue caps. Jacob spoke with great passion and pride about what it means to represent the College in 1st XI cricket and the special bond the students will hopefully create during the season. On the field the team had a dominated performance with a 10-wicket victory. A match highlight was Billy Nuss taking 6/21 with his right arm leg spin! Congratulations to the following students on their debut:

This weekend we play Villanova College, with the senior teams away and Year 7-9 along with Year 5 playing at home. Villanova will give all teams a true test of how we are shaping up for season 2022. Good luck to all students and coaches for games this weekend. 

Term 1 Training Schedule

The training schedule for the rest of the term is now on the College App. Please note there will be no training on Monday 28 February due to the student free day. 

Student Availability 

With 36 cricket teams, selecting teams is a large task on a weekly basis. All students who are unavailable for training and games need to email their age group coordinators with has much notice as possible so teams can be selected before the weekend. 

Parent Support 

Thank you to all parents who supported the teams over the weekend with umpiring and scoring. This support helps coaches spend more time with the students coaching them throughout the game. Parents are encouraged to talk with coaches about getting involved with support during games.

Cricket Results - Round 2 v SEC

Cricket - Match Reports

Swimming – Mr James Boyce

It's been a busy weekend for the MCA boys and the MCA swimming club. Last week, the Marist College Ashgrove Swimming team hosted St. Patricks College and Padua College for the first AIC prep meet. The boys swam well, with many boys only being back in the water for the first time that week.

This week we will be away at Centenary for the Second swimming meet of the year. The busses will be leaving the College bus stop after school this Friday. Swimmers are asked to be in their swimming uniform when getting on the bus. This also means that swimmers will be wearing closed in shoes to and from the pool. Next Friday 25 February, the College will be holding the College-age championships. This meet will commence at 4:00 pm and finish by 6:00 pm. This is the final selection meet before the AIC Swimming Team is announced on Monday 28 February. 

This weekend we also had 42 athletes compete for the MCA Swimming Club at Queensland State Sprints. We had many swimmers achieve new personal best times for the season. A special mention to the following swimmers who finished in the top 10. 

Josh Mason:

🥉 in the 13 years 50m Breaststroke

Archer Mellifont:

🥉 in the 13 years 50m Backstroke

8th place 13 years 50m Butterfly

Isaac Farrelly

5th place 13 years 50m Backstroke

7th place 13 years 50m Breaststroke 

Kate Shield

6th place 13 years 50m Freestyle

Lachie Vink

8th place 14 years 50m Breaststroke 

Darcey Salter

🥉 Boys 15 years 50m Backstroke

Luca Martinuzzi

5th place 15 years 50m Backstroke

Eoin Paznikov

9th place 16 years 50m Freestyle

Well done to these swimmers.

AFL

AFL Results - Round 2 v SEC

Student Achievement

Congratulations to the following students who are representing the College this week as members of various Met North teams at state championships. We wish all the boys good luck.

• Triathlon 11-19 years                     Jake Davidson
• Triathlon 11-19 years                     Lachlan Davidson
• Triathlon 11-19 years                     Will Banner
• Triathlon 11-19 years                     Ethan Bird
• Aquathlon 11-12 years                  Toby Banner
• Cricket 13-15 boys                          William Nickelson

Sport Canteen

Thank to all of the parents who made themselves available for sports canteen for our first week back.

This Saturday we are looking for help from Years 5, 7, 8 and 9. Please put your name in the SignUp, ideally by Friday if you can help.

Grandstand - SignUp Link

The Flats - SignUp Link

Champagnat Centre - SignUp Link

(NB: To volunteer you will need to be double vaccinated and wear a mask.)