Sport News

The sun was shining across the weekend as Marist played St Peter’s Lutheran College in AIC fixtures and hosted a range of different schools in supplementary matches. Thanks in particular to Downland’s College for sending their 13A, 14A and 15A rugby union teams, and also Gregory Terrace for allowing their 3rd XV to play a trial match early in their preparation.

There was a strong show of support in the Cyprian Pavilion on Friday afternoon, as the College chess teams hosted their first home round of the AIC season. A large number of students gathered to support the players, creating a great atmosphere throughout the venue. Despite a competitive showing across the boards, St Peter’s Lutheran College proved too strong on the night, claiming victory in the 1st IV and securing the overall result 12-4.

On Saturday the 1st XV won comfortably, 66-0. Following a win in Round 1, the 1st XV are building momentum as they move into a tough outing at St Pat’s. Two tries each to Ewan Wood, Jed Cole and Ryan Browne, and holding St Peter’s scoreless were highlights in entertaining contest.

The 1st XI continue their strong start to the season with a comprehensive 6-1 victory on Cameron Oval. The team displayed some outstanding skill to dominate the fixture. Across the program, the aggregate teams had 9 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses which demonstrates the strength and depth of the program, whilst many other Marist teams also dominated with some exceptional team work and effort.

We recently held our inter-house cross country championships. Our thanks to Mr Matt Millward from the Sports Department for his organisation and running of the day. Mr Millward is also the Cross Country Coordinator and along with Mr Thomas Prole (Head Coach), they would have been extremely pleased with what they saw. Congratulations to all the students who took part in the event and well done to our winners –

10 Years – Arlo Swenson

11 Years – Phoenix Bryant

12 Years – Geordie Egerton

Year 7 – Jack McCurry

Year 8 – Fred Little

Year 9 – Ronan Sadimenko

Year 10 – Thomas Shaxon

Year 11 – Ethan Bird

Year 12 – William Banner

Thanks to our Heads of House for your support of this House event and to the staff who guided the students along the course.

This week we have our first AIC lead up meet for cross country at Sherwood Arboretum as we run into the AIC cross country championships in a month's time. This event will provide a great opportunity to get competitive racing into the boys who have been working hard for months now in preparation for the season. Thank you to Mr Matt Millward and Mr Thomas Prole for your leadership of the cross country program.

This week we are away to St Patrick’s College for Round 3, however we will host teams at the College and others travelling away. Please check the draws carefully as we are playing multiple schools again this week.

Save The Date | Super Saturday

Super Saturday – 13 June, Round 7

This year Super Saturday is 13 June. Mark the date in your calendar!!.. This is the day you play and stay. There will be activities and games going on as well as plenty of exceptional football and rugby action to keep you entertained all day.

Student Achievements

Marist Track and Field | Congratulations

Congratulations to Year 11 student, Hayden Lockhart.

Hayden's performances over the last year in the 200m has put him down as first reserve in the u18 200m for the Oceania Australian team, should someone withdraw at this stage.

The Oceania Athletics Championships 2026 (18-23 May) is Oceania’s biggest athletics event and brings together leading track and field athletes from across the Oceania Area.

The Championships sit as key part of the qualification pathway for the Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships and more.

This is a significant achievement and we wish Hayden all our best as he continues to prepare and compete at the highest level.

Baseball | Congratulations

Leo McKenna participated in the U18 Baseball Queensland Representative Schools Team with the Nationals played in Adelaide from April 27 to May 2. The team battled hard to earn a spot in the Bronze Medal game, but went down to WA in the match to finish 4th. Leo had a very good week with the bat, finishing 2nd overall on batting average and hits, while also pitching well in relief and performing strongly at short stop. Due to his performances Leo earned All Australian selection at the end of the tournament, one of two Queenslanders to make the team.

Our congratulations to Leo and we wish him all our best.

Rugby Union

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Marist Rugby Union Year Level Coordinators – please contact your year level coordinator for all non-selection matters such as lateness, unavailability and timings.

Year Level Coordinator

Opens - Mr Peter Gaiter - gaiterp@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 10 - Mr Michael Abbott - abbottm@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 9 - Mrs Liz Walsh - walshe@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 8 - Mrs Sharon Davidson - davidsons@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 7 - Mr Damien Nelson - nelsond@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 6 - Mr John Lambourne - lambournej@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 5 - Ms Ella Graham - grahame@marash.qld.edu.au

Super Saturday | Save The Date

This year’s biggest sporting event is nearly here - Saturday 13 June!

It will be an amazing day of school rugby union, entertainment, celebrations, prizes, giveaways, supporter’s bar.

Marist College vs Padua College in 30+ games of rugby union.
Old Boys Reunion Day.
Boarding Family Fun Day.

...all together creates Super Saturday!

See you all here for a great day.

Marist Rugby Union | Round 2 vs St Peter’s College

Thank you to everyone for their support last weekend. Round 2 of the AIC Rugby season brought with it sunshine and gorgeous weather.

To ensure all 34 of our Marist teams had a meaningful game this weekend, in addition to our scheduled fixtures against St Peter’s College, we partnered with seven other schools to create a full round of rugby, ensuring every student had the opportunity to take the field. A huge thank you must go to Mr Matt Millward in our Sports Department and supporting schools for making this possible.

With the sun shining and a strong crowd supporting, it was an impressive day of schoolboy rugby. Across the College, our students continue to showcase excellent skill through their Marist catch pass and running rugby, and a determination to compete for everything.

The Opens cohort has now gone through the first two rounds undefeated in their aggregate games. This is an outstanding achievement and a credit to the effort of our Year 11 and 12 students, and the coaches guiding them.

The 1st XV match didn’t have the physical intensity of the previous week, however doubles to Ryan Browne, Jed Cole and Ewan Wood were decisive in building scoreboard pressure. A foundation of compete and a desperation on the tryline to keep St Peter’s scoreless helped the side claim a strong 66-0 victory against an improving SPLC side. The 2nd XV were too strong for the ATC 1st XV playing some fantastic physical attacking running out winners 83-0, whilst the 3rd XV were similarly too big and too skilled for the SPLC 2nd XV winning 66-5. Congratulations to the 4th XV who defeated the Gregory Terrace 3rd XV in a physical and highly skilled match. Down at halftime, the 4th XV increased the speed of the game in the second half and ran out deserved winners 26-12.

Whilst the 5th XV and 6th XV, and the 8th XV and 9th XV played competitive internal games as part of the supplementary draw, the 7th XV travelled to Runcorn to play St Laurence’s 5th XV. Congratulations to all the teams for some outstanding rugby and well done to the 7th XV on their commanding 66-0 victory.

Our Year 10 teams also continued their strong form with another commanding set of performances. Our 10A side defeated SPLC 48-12, whilst our 10B’s proved too strong for the ATC 10A team winning 29-7. To round out the Year 10 fixture was a fast-paced, competitive game between the 10C and 10D’s that displayed impressive Marist catch-pass skills and demonstrated the depth of talent across the program. More importantly, it fostered a strong sense of connection between year level, reflecting the culture we aim to build at Marist through rugby.

Congratulations to the Year 9 cohort who finished the day undefeated. The teams continue to work hard and they are developing some fantastic skills under pressure and learning to compete for 50 minutes. Whilst there are a number of areas each group are continuing to work hard on, it is nice to see a lot of their training transfer to performance. The 9A’s defeated the Downland’s 14A’s, the 9B’s defeated ATC 9A’s 74-0, the mighty 9E’s defeated Villanova 9D’s 29-26, and the 9C’s proved too strong in the local derby against the 9D’s.

The Year 8 age group continue to run into some strong opposition. The 8A’s went down to a bigger and more physical Downland’s 14A’s 47-7, the 8B’s lost to the ATC 8A’s 38-28, whilst the 8C and 8D teams rounded out the local derbies. With a few injuries and illness across the Year level, it is important for the group to continue to train hard and enjoy their rugby. There are five games left to continue developing, stay connected and work hard for each other each week.

After a tough Round 1 vs Iona, the Year 7 teams bounced back with improved cohesion and a determination to play well at home. Well done to both the coaches and the students for delivering some excellent performances in Round 2. The 7A team defeated Downland’s 13A’s 36-17, the 7B’s defeated SPLC 57-0, and the mighty 7C’s won against Iona 51-19. With another good week of preparation, the Year 7 group will continue to improve.

While the scoreboard reflects plenty of positives results for Marist and a distinct style of running rugby, what was again noticeable was the boy’s approach. They were competitive and physical, however we also played in the right spirit.

A huge thank you to all of our coordinators, coaches, students, and referees, and congratulations on another great weekend of rugby union.

Marist Rugby Referees | Debutants

Following our Referee Ready Program in Term 1, we continue to see our fantastic student referees across the grounds.

Congratulations to Flynn Barrett, Balthazar Caesar, Harrison Fowler, Edward Heenan, Jackson Keir, Will Hutchinson, Harry Eccleston, Remi Rowland, Hamish Pope, Harry Maher, and Owen Ambrose for joining our outstanding refereeing community. All of the students did a wonderful job and received plenty of positive feedback for their manner, approach and performance.

In the coming weeks we will continue to provide further opportunities to our new referee recruits. Please continue to make them feel welcomed and supported.

Finally, a huge thank you to Mr Daniel Mangin, Mr Drew Meehan and our senior referee community for their support of our students. This wouldn’t be possible without their guidance and we are extremely appreciative of what they do for the Marist student referees.

Marist vs St Pat’s | AIC Round 3

Round 3 of the AIC Rugby Union season is an away game for Marist against St Pat’s College, Shorncliffe.

At the time of writing this article, 17/34 teams are playing their games away at Shorncliffe. We are also hosting nine fixtures at the College on Hayden and McMahon Oval. Given the challenge in finding games for all of our teams and moving teams around, we ask all families to carefully check Parent Orbit and College emails for the most up-to-date information regarding this weekend’s schedule as the week unfolds.

Team lists for Round 3 will be released on Friday morning.

Best of luck to all teams for another great weekend of rugby.

Marist Rugby Union | Wet Weather Plan

Rugby Union training will rarely be called off due to bad weather. If rain is forecast, students are asked to place their school bags and formal hats under cover.

Parents dropping students at Des Connor Fields are asked to use the canteen end, where the gear shed and canteen balcony provide shelter.

Thank you for your support.

Marist Rugby Union – Social Media

@marist_ashgrove_rugby

In 2025 the College consistently 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.

Basketball

Mr Matt Millward - Basketball Coordinator

Welcome to the new season of AIC Basketball at Marist Ashgrove College. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to make the 2026 Basketball season enjoyable and beneficial for all participants. There is already a significant amount of interest in the season with a large number already registered!

Sign On

2026 Basketball Season Sign On is now available on Parent Orbit and Student Cafe.

All students interested in playing Basketball in 2026 are encouraged to Sign-On ASAP, so you do not miss any information surrounding the season ahead.

Thank you to those who have already done so.

Coaching Positions

We are in a very healthy position in relation to coaching appointments for 2026 and expect them to be announced in the next week. We do have some vacancies available for anyone interested in coaching. To receive more information, please click the link below and complete the form.

Marist College Ashgrove Basketball Coach EOI – Fill out form

Key Documents

The 2026 Handbook, selection policy and key dates calendar can be accessed via Parent Orbit, here you will be able to find key information regarding the upcoming season!

2026 Basketball Trials

A Squad Trials

Trials for A squads (years 7-11) will commence in Week 5; these will run for two weeks and will provide these teams with a squad to begin preparation for the upcoming AIC season. The A Squad trial schedule will be circulated later this week. Boys who wish to be involved with this trail process must

Have played in an A or B team in the previous AIC season.
Be new to the school or the sport
If not either of these, contact Mr. Millward to register your interest!

Remaining team trials will commence in week 8, term 2. Further information regarding all trials will be circulated in the coming weeks.

CBSQ Sophomore Trials

Selection of the CBSQ Sophomore (Y7/8) squad will be based from the Years 7 and 8 A Squad trials that are taking place in Weeks 5 and 6, with a squad being selected to train for and play in the CBSQ Sophomore Wildcard tournament in Brisbane on 16 and 17 June.

Rugby League

Mr Cam Mabey - Rugby League Coordinator

AIC Rugby League Sign Up Sign-on for Rugby League 2026 is now available via the "Extra-Curricular Sign-On" tile within Parent Orbit / Student café.

All Boys wishing to trial for and play Rugby League need to be signed up to receive relevant communications and be eligible to play. Sign up will close at the end of Week 7 this Term (5 June). Trials will begin in Week 9, Term 2. 

Track and Field

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Mr Rob Martin – Head Coach, Track and Field

Track & Field | District Pathway Update and Pre-Season Preparation

In 2026, a change has been made to the representative pathway. Based on current information, Marist will now fall within a regional structure that requires athletes to nominate and compete at West Districts in order to progress to the Met North Regional Trials, and then onto the Queensland Secondary School Sport Track and Field Championships.

This introduces an additional qualification meet, similar to the district layer many experienced during primary school. The West Districts meet is scheduled for early August, with nominations expected to close around 23 July.

As a result, Marist team selections will occur much earlier in Term 3. In previous years, selections were finalised several weeks into the term, allowing for multiple trial opportunities. This year, there may only be limited opportunities to trial, potentially just a time trial and the College Athletics Carnival, before nominations are submitted.

What this means for athletes:

Preparation will need to begin earlier. Students are encouraged to bring their training forward to ensure they are ready to perform at selection events, giving themselves the best chance to progress through Districts, Regionals, and ultimately the State Championships.

It is important to note that the Queensland Athletics pathway (leading to National All Schools) remains unchanged, with direct nomination still available.

Sunday Training Sessions continue to run each week (any changes will be communicated via the newsletter). These sessions provide an excellent opportunity to build fitness, develop speed, and prepare for the season ahead. Staff will be available to support athletes with training advice and planning.

We strongly encourage all squad members, along with any students interested in improving their running, including those involved in Cross Country, to attend. With the beginning of the school track season approaching quickly, now is the ideal time to begin preparation.

Marist Track and Field | Sunday Sessions

For those students wanting to get a head start or start the season strongly, Mr Rob Martin will continue to run his usual Sunday sessions. The Sunday sessions are an excellent introduction. We have some exceptional coaches leading these sessions, and creating an environment of learning and enjoyment. Some benefits include -1. Improvement in technique and speed.2. Technical development for throws.3. Improved repeat speed / conditioning.

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 | Sign On

Parents - please find the Extra-Curricular tile on Parent Orbit to find information regarding sign on. Students who wish to be involved in the Track and Field program, you are able 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, and ensures all relevant information is forwarded to you via communication channels.

Marist Track and Field | Camp (SAVE THE DATE)

Following our success at the 2025 AIC Primary and Secondary Championship and win at the National Schools Challenge (Intermediate Division), the Track and Field program continues to provide excellent opportunities for students to be involved in a high-quality program.

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.

Camp Information

Dates: Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 September 2026

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

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.

AFL

Mr Cam Mabey - AFL Coordinator

Congratulations to the following 1st XVIII players who have been involved in Brisbane Lions academies since the beginning of the year:

Harrison Cleary (Year 10)
Tan Drake (Year 11)
Liam Fitzpatrick (Year 10)
William Stigter (Year 11)
Masa Pearson (Year 10)

From this group, William has been selected in the Brisbane Lions Academy Level 2 Boys Team (U/16). The team will play in the National U16 Football Carnival to be held in SEQLD 05-16 July. 

Tane Drake, William Stigter, Harrison Cleary