Sport News

Mr Derek Lennon

Round 3 saw travel to Shorncliffe to take on St Patrick’s College, which always proves to be a competitive day of sport through the years, divisions and sports. We thank Pats for their sportsmanship and shared commitment to quality sporting experiences. This for me is the true essence of schoolboy sport, tough, intense, competitive sport, played in a positive spirit and genuine rivalry and competition.

Last weekend in basketball the 1st V took on Pats on Saturday going down again in a competitive match that only got away from us in the final few minutes, with SPC winning 87-74. Across the day we won 16 matches and lost 10. Highlights included 8B winning 81-19 and 6D winning 37-9.

The 1st XIII rugby league team went down 16-8 to SPC. Too many basic errors and a low completion rate were our Achillies in a match we would have expected more from. Overall, we had a good day with nine wins and three losses across all matches played.

Unfortunately, due to the wet weather all tennis fixtures were cancelled.

Our hockey team continues its assault on the Brisbane Schoolboys Hockey Competition in 2025 with a 5-0 win against St Patrick’s College on Wednesday followed up with a 3-2 loss to defending champions St Edmunds on Friday afternoon. Despite the loss, the team are well prepared for a tilt at the title, hoping to turn the tables on SEC should we get the results in the coming weeks. Thank you to Ms Kathryn Badini for your leadership and passion for hockey at Marist.

We had two volleyball teams competing in the Queensland Schools Volleyball Cup last weekend on the Gold Coast. We are out of competition mode for these boys so it was great to see them committing to getting better in readiness for the 2026 AIC season. Our final placing for the Division 1 and 2 teams were 6th and 5th respectively. Some real progress was made over the weekend. It’s a great format to allow coaches to reinforce and recalibrate with games happening so closely in succession. The boys are looking forward to the Australian Schools Cup in December. Our sincere thanks are extended to Mr Patrick Denkes, Mr Tim Walker and Ms Bella Say for leading this group.

Esports / Water Polo / Touch

Registrations are now open for Esports (Years 7-9), Water Polo (Years 7; 8/9 and 10/11) and Touch (Primary; Years 7; 8/9 and 10/11). These are all 1-day competitions in Term 4 with limited places available. If trials are required registered players will be contacted with details.

US College Seminar- Here at Marist

As a part of our commitment to supporting boys academic choices post-high school we have our second presentation on US College information for the year. This time we welcome Aussie Athletes Agency to Ashgrove to provide information on the pathway for all families even considering the US college pathway system for sports.

Our first information night in Term 2 by Study and Play USA proved hugely popular and Aussie Athletes Agency will be able to discuss the pathway, processes and procedure, requirements and challenges to everyone who is interested. AAA has supported a number of Marist students achieve their goal, including Sam Keogan, who is in the US playing football.

I strongly encourage anyone to attend who is even curious about this opportunity, and the younger you are the better as the process involves decision making around subject choices and requirements from Year 9 so student in Years 7 and 8 are encouraged to attend as well as boys from all year levels.

When: 6:00pm Monday 25 August

Where: Tower Function room, Marist College Ashgrove

Four C’s For Sport

I am a big believer in process. You will rarely (never) see me being demonstrative or aggressive or emotional on the sidelines at sport, either as an administrator or as a coach. Firstly, it is not my nature, but more importantly, from my playing days, my coaching experiences and now in administration, I am a firm believer that to be successful in sport the work needs to be done in the lead up. Gameday is for the players. Winston Churchill style speeches rarely work, and if a coach is relying on them on a regular basis questions should be asked about their training and preparation.

I will give you an example of preparation and outcome. Without trying to embarrass him, our 1st XI football team were not favourites to win the AIC premiership, but Mr Whitlock came on board last year as head coach and had a clear plan, he built relationships to work with the players, he drove the standards and expectations from day one and he was flexible enough to adapt where it was needed. The rest as they say was history and we fought out a terrific campaign securing the premiership.

For me, our programs should be built on four principles for sporting performance: concentration, confidence, control and commitment, and they are often underpinned by one single C…courage. We as coaches and teachers need to develop these attributes within the boys, and boys need to give of themselves to allow us. Concentration is about being focused- at training that is on the work, developing the skills (mental and physical) to perform the attributes required for that sport or activity. Confidence comes from knowing you have the skills and ability to execute under pressure. Control can take many forms, for us control is executing the skill but doing it regardless of the situation, and also in maintaining control of yourself regardless of what is going on around you, regardless of the provocations and noise that can happen in competitive sport. Commitment is vital in getting better and dedicating to hard work, putting the team before self, and the requirements of the role being asked to perform over any personal desires or rewards. They all come together to form courage. The courage to play front foot…to play with freedom…to lose…to win…to make mistakes…to take extraordinary risk.

An example of the 4 C’s in action worth checking on You Tube is our own Old Boy John Eales, in the last minute of a Bledisloe Cup match in New Zealand in 2000 with Australia 2 points behind, the cup on the line, and he never looked like missing. Confidence in his ability to execute, concentration to remove the noise around him, commitment through dedicated practice over many years, control to take the emotion out of the situation and the courage under extreme pressure, the whole country on his shoulders, to get the job done. Australia has won one match in New Zealand since, losing 27. The 4 C’s in action. A more recent example includes Kaylee McKeown at the Olympics last year who achieved the incredible double- double gold, defending both her gold medals from Tokyo recently in the pool in Paris.

Basketball

Ms Samantha Davids

1st V v St Pats- Mr James Lymer (Coach)

This week, we headed north of Brisbane and faced off against St Patrick’s College in a fast-paced and energised matchup. The focus heading into the game was clear: control the tempo and maintain discipline when executing offensively.

We came out strong, matching the intensity and setting the tone early. The first quarter ended with a narrow lead to Pat’s, 21–17, continuing in a similar back-and-forth fashion, 39-35 at the half. The third quarter began slow, and at one point, we found ourselves trailing by 14. However, greater commitment on the defensive end and patience offensively in the halfcourt led to some easier looks, closing the gap, bringing the score within one point heading into the final quarter. Momentum was on our side, but a few costly possessions allowed St Pat’s to regain control. Despite creating multiple opportunities, we couldn’t quite convert when it mattered most. Although we didn’t come away victorious, yet again, I was impressed with the resilience shown. As we head into the Ekka break, the team look to reset, refocus, and continue building toward stronger performances going into the second half of the season. We look forward to seeing you all at the next home game vs St Laurence’s College.

Captain Jacob Cook

Our team faced a tough and highly competitive challenge in our third game of the season, ending with a score of 87-74. Despite the deficit, the team showed great resilience and managed to narrow the gap to just one point at one stage. Additionally, credit goes to the bench for providing the energy we needed throughout the game. We’ll use this game as a learning experience and work on our weaknesses to come back stronger than ever after the Ekka break.

11B Report

The 11B’s picked up from where they left off last week with a strong win over St Pat’s, despite having just seven players. A steady start to the game saw us leading 18-10 at half-time, at which point we switched into a zone defence to give the lads a bit of a breather. It was this zone defence that proved most effective, as we allowed just three points in the third quarter, and none in the final quarter, to finish with a 49-13 win. As our only tall man, MVP Bas Martinuzzi played most of the game and was brilliant under the basket at both ends, making some excellent drives to boot. Ky Campbell was strong in defence as always, and showed great game sense to make multiple steals. A great performance all-round, and a well-deserved win.

11D Report

The 11Ds have started the season off with a bang, with wins over multiple C teams and opposing schools. This was no different on Saturday as 11Ds went up against a Padua team looking for revenge, but that didn’t stop Marist from putting up a strong performance and leading the team to a 38-22 victory. Stanley Tong was leading the charge by putting up some tough shots and setting up his teammates. All in all, great team performance from every Marist player on Saturday.

Hockey

Ms Kathryn Badini

Hockey had a double header this week playing St Patrick’s on Wednesday afternoon and St Edmund’s on Friday afternoon. What started as a tight game against St Patrick’s ended in a 5-nil victory as our boys stayed patient to put away some killer goals; including: two from Luke Keir, a short corner goal from Daniel Thirgood and two goals from George Philp on debut. A special mention to Fletcher Cabot who also managed some nail-biting saves in defence.

Friday was always going to be a more tense game for us as we faced our rival St Edmund’s, and the game definitely delivered. We scored first however unfortunately the final result was 2-3 to Eddie’s. All hope is not lost however, if we continue our winning streak against the other teams we will be facing St Edmund’s again in the Grand Final, and this time hopefully we’ll be back to our full strength.

I also need to acknowledge our Year 12 Boarders who helped fill some of the holes created due to injury and sickness. Where other schools are struggling to get a team together, we’re lucky enough to have boys have to join in with no notice to help the school out. So, a big thank you to: George Philip, Josiah Tsiamalili, Finn Brennan, Ignatius Hallman and Hunter Harvey.

We are playing this EKKA Friday against Padua, another fierce AIC opponent.

Rugby League

Mr Lachlan Gough

Our Rugby League teams headed to a rain-soaked St Patrick’s College at Shorncliffe last Saturday. The conditions were heavy under foot for the earlier games but turned a little better for the later morning matches.

Marist had a very successful day winning 9 out of the 12 encounters with 3 byes. Our successful teams included -

MCA 2nds defeated St. Pats 54-0

Year 10A defeated St. Pats 14-0

Year 10B defeated Padua 36-6

Year 9A defeated St. Pats 22-16

Year 8A defeated St. Pats 22-4

Year 6A defeated St. Pats 20-14

Year 6B defeated St. Pats 32-8

Year 5A defeated St. Pats 28-16

Year 5B defeated St. Pats 40-0

Congratulations to these teams and coaches. Good luck to all our Marist teams with training, preparation and games in the coming weeks.

We are struggling to provide the required touch judge for every match. Boys are encouraged to get involved and support the teams by helping out before or after your match. See Mr Gough if you can assist.

Next weekend is an AIC sport free Ekka break so I hope all the coaches, players and parents enjoy the time off and look forward to preparing for the rest of the season.

Student Achievements

Football

Congratulations to Hunter Chan-Riotto who has been selected in the Queensland U14 team to compete in the upcoming nationals in October.

Rugby Union

Well done to Stanley Grellman and Lachlan Webster who have been selected in the Queensland Reds U15 squad to participate in matches against NSW on September.

Swimming

Well done to Tommy Fitzpatrick who competed at the recent Schools National Swimming Championships.

3rd in 200m backstroke 14yr

2nd in 100m backstroke 14yr

6th in 50m backstroke 14yr

4th in medley relay

Track and Field

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Mr Rob Martin – Head Coach, Track and Field

Marist Track and Field | Update

Some outstanding performances are already emerging from our early trial mini meets.Ted Clarke produced a slick hand-timed 23.9s in the 200m, while Hayden Lockhart clocked a pair of 11.34s runs – one of those at the recent USC meet was an electronic time. Jack Cannon is showing great range, competing strongly in the sprints as well as throwing well in discus and shot put.

In the throws, Finn Elphinstone, new to javelin, has started the season with throws over 24m in the 12 years age group – a promising beginning. Aiden O’Reilly is throwing over 45m in javelin on a grass track with a limited run-up, an impressive effort. Our shot put group is building nicely with James Milne, Spencer Hoddy and Joey Sullivan in the younger age groups all producing strong throws and maintaining regular training habits.

On the field, it was great to see Sania Elisala return with another 5.88m long jump after his 6m+ effort at the house carnival. The 15 years long jump is shaping up as a very strong event with Hayden Lockhart also reaching beyond 6.3m. Max King has shown versatility by qualifying for all three jumps at Met North after clearing 1.55m in high jump with limited preparation ahead of Internal Mini Meet 3.

In the 12 years age group, Riley Freer, Matt Stacey, Flynn Barrett, Lucas Crowley and Aidan Rainbow are all running well across the sprints from 100m through to 400m. Riordan Patterson has shown exciting potential in recent weeks, recording quick 400m and 800m times in flat shoes, and will be one to watch as the season progresses.

Eric Kim is among our quickest in the 100m alongside George Padilla in the 13 years group, with Eric also excelling in triple jump and George running strongly in the 200m alongside Harvey Wise. In the sprints, Nick Thornhill and Derek Aubrey continue to push each other for selection in the 100m and 200m teams, bringing great energy and commitment to training.

Middle-distance running is also looking strong with Finn Beaver (13 years), Ethan Bird (15 years) and Archer Tallon (16 years) all recording impressive 1500m times on grass, building well towards Met North and the AIC pre-meet season.

As we move into the AIC and regional competitions, please ensure training with your coaches is a priority.

Thanks to all who have attended the meets and training so far. The strong attendance and commitment shown suggest we will field a team with great depth in 2025, ready to challenge the best schools in Brisbane once again.

Marist Track and Field | EKKA WEEK

See adjusted schedule for EKKA week only.

Monday (ALL students): 3:30-5:00pm
Tuesday (Primary long jump and hurdles): 6:45am-8:10am
Wednesday (Secondary hurdles and jumpers): 7:10-8:20am
Wednesday (ALL students welcome – track events and throws): 3:30-5:00pm
Sunday (ALL students welcome): 3:15-4:30pm

Marist Track and Field | Term 3 T&F Meets

Selection for the Marist AIC Track and Field Championship team has well and truly started. For all students wishing to earn a spot on the team, the remaining Track and Field Meets in Term 3 are:

Thursday 28 August – AIC Practice Meet #1 (SAF – State Athletics Facility)
Wednesday 3 September – AIC Practice Meet #2 (SAF – State Athletics Facility)
Thursday 11 September – AIC Practice Meet #3 (SAF – State Athletics Facility)
Wednesday 17 September – AIC Practice Meet #4 (SAF – State Athletics Facility)

It would be great to see all students wishing to be a part of the team to attend as many meets as possible.

Marist Track and Field | Uniform

A reminder that the DRESS CODE for all T&F training sessions is as per the 2025 Track and Field Handbook. MCA sports shirts / Marist T&F singlet, Marist sports shorts, and white or blue socks.

For competitive events including Internal Mini Meets, the DRESS CODE is as per the 2025 Track and Field Handbook. Marist T&F singlet, Marist sports shorts, and white or blue socks.

It is important we get this right now as we have a mini meet this Friday afternoon here at the College, and we will be competing in the AIC Championship AS A TEAM wearing this uniform.

Safety Notice | Hayden Oval

Thank you for your continued support with this issue. Safety is an important part of all of our programs and we are conscious that there is a lot of activity around Hayden Oval and the tennis courts.

Track and Field training (discus, shot put and javelin) is well and truly underway on Hayden Oval for Term 3.

At any time you are walking across Hayden Oval or wanting to enter the tennis courts area, please adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Look for Bunting, Signs, and Witches Hats: These markers are placed to indicate restricted areas.

Safe Route: To move between the bus stop and tennis courts, please use the road up to the new primary building and the stairs closest to the tennis shed. Please do not walk across Hayden Oval.

Your cooperation is essential in ensuring everyone's safety during training sessions. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Track and Field Handbook

Please see the Parent Orbit app for the 2025 Track and Field Handbook.

The Handbook includes the relevant Track and Field information for students and parents / guardians. If you have any further questions, please contact Mr Richard Graham.

Marist Track and Field | Sign On

Please go to Parent Orbit and see information regarding sign on. All students who wish to be involved in the Track and Field program are asked to sign up via the student café. Once your son/s have signed up all parents or caregivers MUST approve the signup via Parent Lounge 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.

NOTE – If your son isn’t registered, you will NOT receive any information via the Parent Orbit regarding the Track and Field program, including schedules and relevant information.

Marist Track and Field | Camp (SAVE THE DATE)

The Track and Field Camp is a vital component of the team’s preparation for the AIC Championship. Over 2½ days, students will receive high-level coaching and mentoring from an exceptional team of specialists including National and Olympic-level coaches across various track and field disciplines.

Attendance at the camp is by invitation only and invitations will be sent to selected students in late August. Selection is based on a range of factors, including performance, attitude, attendance and team composition.

This camp provides an outstanding opportunity for students to refine their skills, build team camaraderie, and gain valuable insights from elite-level coaches as we prepare to defend both our AIC Secondary and AIC Primary Championship trophies.

NOTE – a small group of Year 6 students will be invited to attend the Friday session at UQ. This group will be made aware closer to the time.

Camp Information

Dates: Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 September 2025

Venues: Sleeman Sports Complex (Accommodation) / UQ Track and Field (Training and Performance)

Marist Track and Field | September Holiday Meets

During the September holidays, the College will lead two Track and Field practice meets.

WHEN: Thursday 25 September and Thursday 2 October

TIME: 8:00 – 11:45am

WHERE: UQ Sporting Precinct

Further information will be provided closer to the time.

Sunday Sessions | Track and Field Training

This year, Marist College will be aiming to win its 11th successive Secondary AIC Track and Field Championship and its 5th successive Primary AIC Track and Field Championship. Achieving this success requires planning, commitment, and effort across the entire year.

At this early stage, the training focus is on Sprints, Hurdles, Throws, and Jump Plyometrics.

For all students wishing to train, Mr Rob Martin will continue running his Sunday training sessions. Please see the details below:

INCLUDED: Running – sprints and jumps / Throws – early pre-season fitness and cross training, along with throwing.

WHEN: Sunday afternoons

WHERE: Hayden Oval

TIME: 3:15-4:45pm

DRESS: Marist sport shirt, Marist sports shorts, white or blue socks.

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.

Rugby Union

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Reds U15 | Congratulations

I’m pleased to share that Stanley Grellman and Lachlan Webster (Year 10) have been selected in the 2025 Reds U15 Train-on Squad.

Following the recent State Championships, both students delivered outstanding performances throughout the competition, earning selection in the 32-player train-on squad. A match-day 23 will be named later in the year to represent the Reds against the NSW Waratahs U15s in both home and away fixtures.

We wish both Stanley and Lachlan all our best.

Met North and BJRU | Congratulations

Congratulations to Finley Elphinston (Year 7) and William Smith (Year 6) on representing Met North at the recent U12 Queensland School Sport Championships, held at Nudgee.

Well done to both boys on their selection and performance at this state-level event.

Congratulations to Finley Elphinston (Year 7) for representing the U13 BJRU team at the recent Queensland Club Championships held in Townsville. Following a strong tournament, Finley was selected in the Queensland City team to play for the Cup Trophy against Queensland Country in Brisbane, where his team claimed the win.

Well done, Finley.

Marist Rugby Union | Social Media

@marist_ashgrove_rugby

During the 2025 rugby union season, 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.