Sport News

Multi-Sport Participation

Students are encouraged throughout the year to participate in a range of sports and activities to build character, resilience and discipline, while enjoying representing the College and participating with their mates.

With 12 major sports and a range of minor sports in the calendar it is not always possible for every student to participate in all of their chosen sports. The AIC sets the calendar and allocates which sports are played in which terms. This is based on a combination of AIC history and tradition, sport specific norms, balance across the calendar and operational requirements such as venue availability.

As a College we operate on two key parameters for sport- participation and performance. Both are equally important to us. We want students participating in a range of sports as much as possible and doing as well as they can in those sports.

Students are able to participate in one in-season premiership sport (week to week fixtures) and one championship sport (one day event) in any given term and can participate in one pre-season program for a sport in the following term as long as that does not impact on the in-season sport. 

• In Term 1 that means students are to choose between Volleyball, Cricket and AFL, and they can also participate in Swimming.
• In Term 2 students are to choose between Rugby, Chess and Football, and they can also participate in Cross Country. 

• In Term 3 students are to choose between Rugby League, Basketball and Tennis, and they can also participate in Track and Field.

   

There are a number of reasons for this:

• We want to maximise every student’s potential participation. Where a student is playing in two sports at the same time, he is potentially stopping another student from playing any sport that term.
• It is consistent and therefore fair and equitable across the whole school year.
• It avoids clashes with fixture times. While the AIC by-laws may suggest that fixture times for the two teams involved will not clash, this does not mean that will always be the case as the by-law times are a recommendation not compulsory, so schools are free to adjust to suit. 
• With upwards of 1200 boys playing sport in Term 1 and another 1200 in Term 2, it is impossible to manage the training schedules to avoid clashes for boys in multiple teams in the same term. 
• Avoiding availability issues which compromises team composition.
• Managing the impact on student “load”, balancing academic, sport and wellbeing domains.   

Student Achievements

Cricket

Congratulations to Will Easter (Year 11) on his selection in the Queensland Under 17 cricket squad for the upcoming national championships in Brisbane. Well done also to Old Boy Louis Morris (2024) who has been selected in the Under 19 Queensland team for the national championships in Perth.

Noosa Triathlon

Ben Flanagan, Tommy Bedgood and Luca Bordignon all competed in the Noosa Tri Opens Mens Category and came 9th out of 1000 teams. The boys did their race in 2 hours 7 minutes and ranked 11 overall and 9th in the Mens Open category. Tommy did 1.5km swim in 19.30, Luca did 40km ride in 59 minutes and Ben did the 10km run in 41.30. 

Cross Country Mountain Biking

Congratulations to Luca Pozzebon who has been recently selected in the Queensland Development squad for Cross Country Mountain Biking (XC) this Friday. He will be competing in the first 2 rounds of the National Series at Mt Crosby. 

Cricket

Mr Matt Millward - Cricket Coordinator

Trials

Our Term 4 trial period has now concluded, I wish to pass on thanks to all students, staff and coaches for your efforts over the past few weeks – the program is in a very strong and healthy position heading into the AIC season. Trials will recommence in January 2026, with all cohorts having further trial sessions and trial games prior to the commencement of the AIC season. Please keep an eye out on Parent Orbit for notifications detailing trial schedules for the new year. 

Holiday Clinics

Our December holiday camp has been confirmed. Brett Henschell will return with his coaching crew to deliver his camp for boys currently in Years 5-8. The camp will take place from Wednesday 10 December – Friday 12 December, 8:30am – 12:00pm. Sign up is now open via the events/payments portal on Parent Orbit. 

Cricket Week

Marist Cricket Week will take place from Monday 19 January – Friday 23 January, 2026. We will have several masterclass sessions, a development camp as well as T20 competitions for our 1st XI and 10A teams. More information surrounding the week will become available in the coming weeks, keep an eye out on Parent Orbit. 

Track and Field

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Mr Rob Martin – Head Coach, Track and Field

Marist Track and Field | National Schools Challenge

Marist College will once again enter a team in the National Schools Challenge, Intermediate Division, to be held in Melbourne on December 8. This event follows the National All Schools Championships, taking place from December 4–7.

Marist has a proud and successful recent history at this competition, most notably winning the Intermediate Division title in 2022. The current team are competing at local shield meets where a number of outstanding performances have already been recorded, including several College records highlighted in last week’s newsletter.

The students are preparing for the meets with a clear focus as they look to represent the College with distinction on the national stage. Harry Prole, Connor Campbell, Hayden Lockhart, Riley Hansel, Ben Flanagan, Eli Miles and James Milnes have been selected to represent the College at the National Schools Challenge.

Special thanks to Mr Rob Martin, Mr Bill Prole, and Mr Lee Martin for their continued guidance and generous support of the boys throughout this phase of the season.

Marist Track and Field | State Relay Championships

Over 15 Marist athletes competed at the QLD Athletics State Relay Championships over the weekend (15-16 Nov)with another school record broken and many of our Marist athletes joining their club teams including Ashgrove Rangers, Brisbane Athletics and Athletics North, to bring back a host of state medals.

The performances were as follows -

ASHGROVE MARIST MEDAL SUMMARY

STATE TRACK AND FIELD RELAYS QE2

15th/16th November 2025

GOLD

U14 Men 4 x200,                Nathan Wright

U14 Men 3 x Long Jump  Nathan Wright

U16 Men 4 x 400m            Ben Flanagan,

U18 Men 3 x Long Jump

Hayden Lockhart (6.76m), Lyndon Maynard (6.22m), Connor Campbell (6.18m)

Open Men 4x1500m          Harry Prole

SILVER 

U14 Men Long Jump         Max King

U16 Men4 x 400m              Darcy Frazier

U16 Men 4 x 800m             Ben Flanagan

U18 Men  4 x 100m            Riley Hansel, Connor Campbell, Hayden Lockhart, Isaac Ting (New school record - 42.69s)

U18 4 x 800                         Harry Prole, Lucas Boshoff

U20  Long Jump                 Lyndon Maynard

Open Men  4 x 1500m        Ethan Bird

BRONZE

U16 Men 3 x Shot Put        Joey Sullivan, Eli Miles, Joey Sullivan

U20 Men 4 x 400m             Perry Croft, Connor Campbell,

U16 Men 4 x 800                 Darcy Frazier

Additional relays Performances

U14 Men 4x800,             N. Bray, W. Minahan (12th place)

U20 Men 4 x 200  and  4 x 800 Perry Croft (4th Place)

U16 Men 3 x Shot Put  Joey Sullivan, Eli Miles, Joey Sullivan (4th Place)

U14 Men 4x200             M.King (4th Place)

* We were also fortunate to have a group of Old Boys win gold in the 3 x shot put in U20 and also 3 of our current Marist coaches who won gold in the Open shot put relay

U20 Men Shot Put - Old Boys Team (Gold)

Lee Martin, Jai Jarro, Isaiah Burgess

Open Men  Shot Put - Marist Coaches Team (Gold)

Lee Martin, Isaiah Burgess, Tim Castley 

* SCHOOL RECORD - OPEN RELAY 4 x 100m

Over the weekend at the QLD Athletics State Relay Championships a school record held since 1984 was broken by the following athletes. In humid conditions on Saturday prior to the late rains, the quartet of Riley Hansel, Hayden Lockhart, Connor Campbell, Isaac Ting flew the baton around the track to record the fastest open 4x100m sprint relay time in Marist history with 42.69s. Well done to these athletes -

New School Record - OPEN 4 x 100m relay     Time 42.69s

* Riley Hansel, Hayden Lockhart, Connor Campbell, Isaac Ting

Old School Record M. Leavy, P. McKee, R. Reimann, P. Whyte  Old record - 42.90s

Congratulations to the new and previous record holders.

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

Term 4 | Preseason Training Completed

Our five-week preseason program concluded on Friday morning, bringing to a close a fantastic block of training for our Years 9-11 students. The energy, commitment, and improvement shown by all involved have been outstanding. Each session reflected a genuine desire to grow whether through conditioning, skill development, or learning how to train with purpose and intent.

The final session was a highlight of the term, as we welcomed approximately 30 current Year 5 students and 35 Year 4 students who will join the College in 2026. The wet conditions didn’t dampen any spirits as they trained alongside our older boys, shared in a sausage sizzle, and experienced what connection within the Marist Rugby program truly means. These moments of shared learning and encouragement are the heartbeat of our culture and a reminder that we are one program linked from our youngest Bumblebees through to our senior players.

A sincere thank you to all students for your commitment and enthusiasm throughout the term. I want to also acknowledge the exceptional leadership of our coaching and S&C staff, whose guidance created an environment where every student can thrive. The foundations for 2026 and beyond are strong!

Marist Rugby Union | U12 The Armidale School Rugby Carnival

Thank you to all students who attended the recent U12 training and trials for The Armidale School Rugby Carnival 2026. Special thanks also to Mr John Lambourne, Mr James Trebbin and Mr Anthony Graham for leading the sessions and guiding the selection process. These three men have delivered another excellent block of training and will continue to support the students through to the 2026 carnival.

As Australia’s largest junior rugby carnival, it offers a fantastic opportunity to tour regionally and play a tournament format, and we’re excited to prepare a team to represent the College in 2026.

In April 2025, Marist performed exceptionally well, finishing third in Division 1. The tour provided outstanding playing experiences, forged strong connections, and created wonderful memories for the students across the different year levels.

Marist Rugby Union | Scrum Ready Program

Like our other rugby programs, as students now turn their focus to final exams, our five-week Scrum Ready Program has also come to a conclusion. Attendance throughout the program has been exceptionally strong, and we thank all students who committed their time and effort each week.

The scrum in rugby union is a vital element of the game’s integrity and a cornerstone of forward play. The Scrum Ready Program forms an essential part of our education and safety approach, helping students develop correct technique, strength, and confidence in scrum engagement and other technical aspects of forward play.

For those students who attended regularly, you should now have completed the program with enough knowledge and confidence to continue your own training through the remainder of Term 4 and into the school holidays. The goal of the Scrum Ready Program is not only to develop safe and effective scrum techniques but also to build habits of strength, control, and awareness that extend beyond the field.

A big thank you to our staff leading the program this term – Mr Chris Daykin, Mr Doug Perrers, and Mr James Trebbin. Your guidance, professionalism, and care for our players have been outstanding.

Marist Rugby Union | State 7’s Competition

Congratulations to Marist’s Under 15 students; Harrison Bardon, Archie Ross, Ethan Londema, and Quinn Schrodter-Davis on their selection in the Brisbane Junior Rugby team to compete at the Queensland State Rugby Union 7’s competition over the weekend. The team performed exceptionally well, finishing second overall. A fantastic achievement and well-deserved recognition.

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.

Swimming

Mr James Boyce - Director of Swimming

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our Year 12 students on completing their final exams. One of the great privileges of my role is watching so many of the boys begin their journey at the College as young students and grow into confident young men. Swimming is a demanding pathway—one that requires consistency, resilience, and discipline—and I would especially like to acknowledge those who began in Year 4 and have continued all the way through to Year 12. Their long-term commitment is truly commendable.

I also want to acknowledge the outstanding effort shown by the boys over the past seven weeks. Their consistency has been excellent, and I encourage everyone to continue building on this momentum as we move into a very busy period. With exams and assessments approaching, schoolwork must remain the priority; however, I ask that students create a plan that allows them to continue swimming where possible. Whether it’s attending once a week or maintaining their usual two to three sessions, some training is always better than none.

Last week I spoke with the boys about the importance of training during the upcoming holiday period. These sessions are focused, fast, and often where we see the most improvement. Holiday training will run Monday to Thursday, 8:00–9:30am, continuing through to Thursday 18 December and resuming on Monday 5 January 2026.

With 112 days until AIC, every session makes a meaningful difference.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact swim@marash.qld.edu.au.

Marist Swimming | Sign On

For full details, please visit Parent Orbit. Students must sign up via the Student Café, with parents or caregivers confirming registration through Parent Lounge and updating all medical details.

This process allows the College to plan for the appropriate number of coaches and resources.

Important: Students who are not registered for AIC Unallocated will not receive emails regarding swimming program, including schedules and updates.

For any enquiries, please contact: swim@marash.qld.edu.au

Swimming Timetable for Term 4 – Week 5

Year 5 - 2026

Year 6 - 2026

Year 7 – 12 – 2025 

Rugby League 

Cam Mabey - Sports Coordinator – AFL & Rugby League 

Rugby League Pre-Season Opportunity

Wests Junior Rugby League club have reached out and extended an offer to Marist College students to attend a series of training clinics, running again this Saturday morning. 

There has been a great turnout of MCA boys at these sessions, I’d encourage any other boys to get along this Saturday and beyond. 

Please see the attached flyer for further details. 

AFL

Cam Mabey - Sports Coordinator – AFL & Rugby League

Trials

All grades are now through the scheduled 3-week trial block, except for 2026 grade 7 who have their postponed third trial on Tuesday afternoon. A trial match opportunity came up for the 2026 Year 10’s, which will see them have one more training on Wednesday and a trial match on Thursday against Mt Maria College. 

I’d like to extend a thankyou to all the Coaches, umpires, parents and students who played their role in making these trials happen. There was a healthy turnout of numbers and talent across all year groups. Coaches gained great insight to the pools of players they have to select squads from. All boys are encouraged to keep training over the Summer and put in a big effort in week one of 2026, which provides further trial opportunity.

Trial Match 

On Thursday last week, 63 boys who will be eligible for the Opens AFL grade in 2026, took on St. Patricks College in a trial match. The match was contested in 6 quarters, providing the opportunity for large crop of players to get minutes under their belt and form some early combinations. While the match wasn’t scored, it was a good back and forth battle with Marist putting together some promising stints of football. 

A undermanned St. Pats squad meant 2 lots of Marist boys played against each other to close out the match, a good opportunity for these players to test themselves against their usual training partners. 

Overall, the match was a valuable opportunity to get a feel for the 2026 season. Thanks to Matt Beattie, Brett Gillett, Jack Thompson, Simon Dobbie, Adrian Brown and Tony Stevens for their value in coaching and managing the Opens thus far. 

Summer Training

To prepare for the 2026 AFL season, it is essential all players are engaging in some form of consistent training over the Exam and School Holiday periods. As many handballs to a mate, kicks of the Sherrin and km’s on the legs, will set boys up to perform and enjoy their Football when they return in January. 

There will be AFL training sessions every Tuesday and Thursday over the School Holidays, starting on the 9th of December. Boys from every grade are invited and encouraged to these sessions. MCA’s S&C coordinator and myself will provide fitness and speed training, with an array of MCA AFL coaches providing skills training. A flyer with full details on these sessions will be distributed shortly. 

Return to play in 2026

With School returning on Wednesday 28th January, the aim is to get all grades of AFL through at least one training that week, before all grades play against Villanova College in a trial round on Saturday 31st January. 

Squads will be announced on Monday the 2nd February, giving boys a week to purchase the AFL jersey before the first AIC round on Friday 6th/ Saturday 7th February vs Iona College. 

I will be in contact via the School App regarding training schedules for the first week and remainder of Term 1. 

Tennis

Mr Andrew Ward - Director of Tennis

I would like to begin by thanking everyone involved in making this year an outstanding one for tennis—across both our coaching program and our AIC campaign. Marist continues to set the standard, finishing 2nd in the aggregate for the fourth consecutive year, and 3rd in the First IV in what was an extremely competitive season. The depth shown across all year levels is something we can all be genuinely proud of as both a club and a school.And to St Peters—we’re closing the gap. The climb continues, and our eyes remain fixed on the summit.

A special thank you must go to our coaching team for keeping everything running smoothly while I was away. From all reports, they did a tremendous job continuing to deliver five-star coaching at some of the most affordable rates in Brisbane. Our aim remains clear: to develop players who will make Marist the most competitive tennis school in the AIC.Next year, we have high hopes of pushing for that elusive First IV title. I believe we have a team capable of achieving it—but to compete with the top schools, our players must commit to becoming the best performers they can be.

Historically, tennis has been a sport filled with multi-talented athletes who also excel in other areas. Moving forward, tennis will take a back seat to no other sport. We are transitioning into a more professional, focused program where tennis will become the number-one commitment for those who choose this pathway.

This week we will be contacting selected individuals who are ready to take their tennis to the next level. This has been a long-term goal, but in previous years many of these students were heavily involved in other sports and we had limited time to work with them before the AIC season began. As always, our traditional squad structure and group classes will continue alongside this new high-performance pathway.

We are looking for students who are workers—not time wasters. Students who are driven, hungry to improve, and motivated to learn how to make their game more competitive, athletic, and dynamic.If you believe you are one of these students, we hope to see you among the pioneers of our new structured program of excellence.

All entrants will be personally invited by me to join the Elite Squad. I am genuinely excited about this new era and what we can achieve together.

2026 – The Next Step: Elite Squad Upgrade

In 2026, we are taking our squad system to a new level. For players ready to treat tennis as a serious pursuit, we are launching invitation-only, high-performance squads, featuring:

• Training four days per week
• One private lesson per week with a squad coach
• A complete focus on technique, footwork, strength, conditioning, recovery, nutrition, injury prevention, and match preparation
• Super League participation for advanced match play

• Planned squad tours throughout 2026

   

All existing squads will continue as normal, ensuring every player has a pathway suited to their goals.

XMAS PARTY – Parent/Son Tournament & Social Tennis

This Sunday, 23 November — 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

All MCA tennis members and any students who have taken part in our coaching program are warmly invited to our annual Christmas celebration.

Join us for:

• Parent/Son Tournament
• Social tennis for all players
• Sausage sizzle

• Light prizes, awards, and plenty of fun

   

We look forward to seeing as many families as possible.

Please email your attendance to:mcatennis@marash.qld.edu.au (for catering purposes)

Holiday Clinics – December & January

Holiday Camps (8:00–11:00 AM):

• Dec 15–17
• Dec 22–24
• Jan 12–14

• Jan 19–21

   

2026 Term 1:

• Mon 2 Feb – Coaching resumes

• Launch of the new Elite Squads

   

All students are welcome, including players from neighbouring schools.

TRY TENNIS – A Huge Success

TRY TENNIS once again proved extremely popular, with over 60 students testing themselves against the coaches every Friday morning. It was fantastic to see some talented new Year 5 players who will hopefully join our squad programs next year.

A big thank you to Mr Lambourne for helping guide students across the College to the courts each week.

Volleyball

Mr Blair Whitlock – Volleyball Coordinator

Trial Matches vs St Patrick’s College

It was great to see 10 teams in action on Saturday for trial matches against St Patrick’s College. There were plenty of positive performances across the board with all 10 teams picking up wins to mark the return of Volleyball. The 1st VI put a cohesive match together to pick up a 3-0 win as they continue their preparation for the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup that takes place on the Gold Coast in December. The 1st VI are back in action on Friday afternoon as they head over to Boondall to play against Nudgee College.

Volleyball Registration

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

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

January Volleyball Clinics

There will be Volleyball clinics taking place at the College on Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd January ahead of trial matches against Iona College on Friday 23rd January. These clinics will be open to Volleyball players of all ages/abilities and will focus on the technical & tactical aspects of the game alongside athletic testing from the S & C team. They will be run by expert coaches and provide a great foundation as preparation continues for the AIC season. Further information on these clinics and how to sign up will be sent out in the coming weeks.