Sport News

Mr Scott Reaper - Program Leader - Sport

Preparing for Term 1 Sport

As the year winds down, preparations for Term 1 sport are well underway. Trials are now in full swing across all programs, and several of our First teams are already deep into their pre-season commitments.

The Spirit of Spectating

One of the great strengths of school sport is the sense of community and pride that surrounds it. Unlike club sport, our engagement extends far beyond match days—we live and learn together as one Marist family. Our students, staff, and parents all care deeply about how we represent ourselves, and it’s this shared passion that makes our sporting culture so special.

Our First team fixtures often attract larger crowds than many senior competitions across the state, and that support is something to be proud of. With that passion, however, comes a responsibility to channel our enthusiasm in the right way.

In my time at the College, I’ve been impressed by how respectful and supportive our community is at sporting events. That said, maintaining these high standards takes continued effort. It’s much easier to nurture a positive culture than to repair a negative one. Let’s keep working together to ensure our behaviour—on the field and in the stands—reflects the values we live by every day.

After all, for the vast majority of us, sport is about being active, learning new skills, and enjoying time with our mates.

Expectations for Boys

Dress with pride. Always wear your College uniform correctly when spectating. If you’ve played earlier in the day, change out of your playing kit before attending other games. No thongs, slides, or Birkenstocks, please. When we look unified, we project the strength and pride of the Marist community.
Represent the College well. Remember, every boy is a “postcard” for Marist College Ashgrove. Many people’s only interaction with the College is seeing you in public—make that impression a positive one.
Support positively. Cheer for good play, ignore mistakes, and never direct negative comments toward players or officials. True sportsmanship means showing respect to opponents and focusing your energy on supporting our team.
Know the war cries. Bring your voice, enthusiasm, and pride to every match—nothing lifts a team more than a united chorus from the stands.

Expectations for Spectators

Our parents and supporters play a vital role in creating the right sporting environment. The best thing any spectator can do is simply cheer and encourage.

Avoid coaching from the sideline—leave that to the coaches. It preserves team harmony and respect for those in charge.
Follow the golden rule: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. You never know who’s listening, so keep all comments positive.
Stay encouraging, even when games don’t go our way. Help the boys focus on what went right rather than what went wrong.
Remember that most of our officials are students or young adults. They make mistakes, just like players and coaches. Show them patience and respect at all times.

At the end of the day, school sport is about growth, teamwork, and joy. Let’s continue to set the standard for what it means to be part of the Marist sporting community—respectful, passionate, and proud.

Sport - Basic Expectations for All Players

The expectations of the players are broken into two categories- training and match day. All players should be aware of these expectations and ensure they are meeting or exceeding them.

Training

Upon selection in an AIC team players required to train at least twice per week, In-season activities always take precedence over pre-season or development training.

MOTTO FOR TRAINING: “ON TIME, DRESSED CORRECTLY, READY TO GO”

ARRIVAL	Start times for training sessions are just that; not arrival times. If training starts at 3:30 that means you are on the field ready to go, not just arriving.
ATTITUDE	Training is work time not social time. To play at your best you need to train at your best.
ATTENDANCE	All players are expected to be at all team training sessions. If you are going to miss training you need to contact your coach and year coordinator direct to explain why. In the Primary this will need to be from a parent.
EQUIPMENT	All training sessions require the wearing of safety equipment such as boots, mouthguards, shinpads. Essentially, if you need it for a game, you need it for training. Boys will not be allowed to participate in training sessions without these.
UNIFORM	Players must be in the Marist blue training shirt and shorts for all training sessions, unless otherwise directed by the coach.

Match Day

PLAYING

All players are expected to be available for all matches. You have made a commitment to the college and your team. If you are unavailable for a match contact your coach and year coordinator as soon as possible explaining the reason why.

ARRIVAL TIME

Unless otherwise directed, players are to arrive at the venue not less than 30 minutes before kick-off and report to your team coach or manager.

DRESS CODE

All players are to turn up to matches in their playing kit or tracksuit. No player is to turn up wearing non-Marist items. All boys must change into your college uniform to watch later games.

First team players are required to wear your formal uniform.

EQUIPMENT

Boys will also require equipment for the sport, such as mouthguards, boots, shinpads, etc. All players must have a Marist playing jersey, shorts and socks.

HYDRATION

Each boy must bring their own full water bottle with them. Team coaches and managers will encourage the boys to drink water but ultimately players are responsible for their hydration.

SHAKING HANDS

All players are to shake hands with their opponents at the completion of the match. This is to occur before any war cry or team celebrations occur.

RESPECT

At all times on match days Marist athletes must ensure that their actions and conduct is respectful to their opposition, officials, themselves, their teammates, coaches, and the College.

FIRSTS SUPPORT

All players are strongly encouraged to stay behind and support the first team.

School Representative Sport

The College would like to get a group photo of students who participated in the following 2026 school representative sport teams this year: West District, Met North, QLD and National.

Students are required to bring their representative shirt or jersey for the photo.

The photo has now been scheduled to take place Week 6 on Wednesday 11 November directly after assembly at the Tower.

Swimming

Mr James Boyce - Director of Swimming

Over the weekend, a strong contingent of MCA swimmers represented the College at the BSA Relay Championships. This event is always a fantastic opportunity for our boys to gain valuable racing experience, develop their teamwork and compete against other swimming clubs.

It was pleasing to see so many of our swimmers achieve new personal best times, with several relay teams also finishing inside the top 10. These performances are a great reflection of the hard work and commitment the boys have shown throughout their training.

Congratulations to the following teams on their outstanding results:

Boys 9–10 Years Freestyle Relay – 6th Place

Rupert Donohue
Jackson Waterhouse
Jensen Axten
Thomas Lindner

Boys 9–10 Years Medley Relay – 3rd Place 🥉

Jensen Axten
Thomas Lindner
Jackson Waterhouse
Rupert Donohue

Boys 14 Years & Under Freestyle Relay – 8th Place

Cooper Donaghy
Nathan Cullen
Ed Heenan
Daniel Sadimenko

Boys 14 Years & Under Medley Relay – 9th Place

Nathan Cullen
Isaac Gervais
Cooper Donaghy
Ed Heenan

A special congratulations to our 9–10 Years Boys Medley Relay team, who produced an excellent performance to secure 3rd place and a podium finish. This was a fantastic achievement for the boys and a highlight of the weekend.

Well done to all our MCA swimmers who competed. Regardless of the results, it was wonderful to see the boys racing with determination, supporting their teammates and representing the College with pride.

Congratulations once again to all our top 10 finishers and to everyone involved in a successful weekend of racing. We look forward to seeing the boys continue to build on these performances as we head towards the end of the swimming season.

As we head into Week 5, we’ll begin incorporating more sprint work into our weekly program. This phase will be more demanding, and I’ll be encouraging the boys to focus on the controllable aspects that require no skill — such as effort, attitude, preparation, and consistency.

With the final stretch of Term 4 ahead, I ask all swimmers to remain consistent in their training. We’ve built strong momentum, but missing a week or two can set us back. Please stay on top of study and assessments so you can continue training effectively as we prepare for the 126 days ahead.

Please see this week’s swimming schedule attached.If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 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

Week 5 Training Schedule

Monday 2 November 26 – Friday 6 November 26

Year 5 (2027) Training Squad

	Monday 2/11	Tuesday 3/11	Wednesday 4/11	Thursday 5/11	Friday 6/11
AM
PM	3:30 – 4:15		3:30 – 4:15

Year 6 (2027) Training Squad

	Monday 2/11	Tuesday 3/11	Wednesday 4/11	Thursday 5/11	Friday 6/11
AM					7:15 – 8:00
PM			3:30 – 4:15

Year 7 – 12 (2027) Training Squad

	Monday 2/11	Tuesday 3/11	Wednesday 4/11	Thursday 5/11	Friday 6/11
AM	7:00 – 8:00	7:00 – 8:00	7:00 – 8:00		7:00 – 8:00
PM

Cricket

Mr Jonte Brown - Cricket Coordinator

Pre-season Updates

While training was sporadic last week due to the weather, it was great to see so many faces on the cricket field last week for training and trials. Week 2 of trials will continue this week. Please see the training schedule below for more information.

If you haven't already, please make sure your child signs up and is approved through the Parent Orbit App as this is where all communication for the cricket season will be published.

QLD & Marist Cricket Partnership - Brisbane Heat Ticket Competition

We are excited to announce that Marist College Ashgrove is participating in the Brisbane Heat Schools Ticket Competition!

Through partnership with the Brisbane Heat, Marist families have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to selected BBL games at the Gabba and WBBL games at Allan Border Field, with the option to sit together in the designated Schools Bay.

Even better, every ticket purchased through our school's unique link contributes towards our chance of winning some fantastic prizes for our Cricket program!

Prizes on Offer:

1st Place: Brisbane Heat Player appearance experience at Marist
2nd Place: Cricket Equipment Kit valued at $500
3rd Place: Signed Brisbane Heat Bat

How to Get Involved:

Simply purchase your tickets using the link below or scan the QR code on the attached flyer.

Click here to get your tickets!

We encourage all families to share this opportunity with friends and relatives. The more tickets purchased through our Marist link, the greater our chance of securing a prize for the College!Thank you for your continued support of Marist Cricket. We hope to see plenty of blue and gold cheering on the Heat this summer!

Rugby League

Mr Cam Mabey - Rugby League Coordinator

Marist College Ashgrove – SEQ Rugby League 9s Carnival

Last Thursday, Marist College Ashgrove competed in the SEQ Rugby League 9s Carnival, participating in the Year 9/10 Division 1 competition.

The boys played four matches throughout the day against Stretton State High School, Beaudesert State High School, Miami State High School and Bellbird State High School.

It was a successful day for the group, who challenged themselves against some quality opposition, including schools with established Rugby League Excellence Programs. The boys competed well throughout the carnival, finishing with two wins and two losses.

The carnival provided a great opportunity for the boys to test themselves against strong opposition, gain valuable experience and continue developing their skills in a competitive environment.

Team: Isaac Mastenbroek, Nick Osborn, Eddie Mitchell, Harry Cleary, Lucas James, Boh Ballie, Matt McKiever, Braxton Chambers, Ben Williams, River Matricardi, Will Hutchison, Harvey Pye and Alec McKellar.

A big thank you to coaches Mr Jye Davies and Mr Brad Winchester for their time and efforts in accompanying and supporting the boys throughout the carnival.

League Stars Program

Last Wednesday the NRL delivered the first of 5 “League Stars” sessions for our year 6 Boys.

League Stars is a Rugby League program designed to guide Boys through fundamental aspects of the game in a fun and supportive environment.

We were fortunate to have Brisbane Broncos NRLW premiership winning player Jada Fergusson as one of the coaches, passing on her knowledge of the game to some of our younger players.

If you are in Year 6 and would like to register for the remaining sessions, please send me an Email mabeyc@marash.qld.edu.au.

Basketball

Mr Jonte Brown - Basketball Coordinator

Congratulations to our CBSQ Sophomore Boys' team, who represented Marist College Ashgrove at the CBSQ Sophomore Tournament last week.

The boys faced some tough competition across the four days, demonstrating great determination and teamwork to secure a strong finish in their division. Their efforts were rewarded with qualification for the 2027 CBSQ Major Tournament, a fantastic achievement and one the group should be extremely proud of.

A big thank you to all players and families for their commitment throughout the tournament, as well as coaches Zac Chapman and James O'Hara for their time, effort and support of the boys.

Well done, gentlemen! A fantastic result for Marist Basketball!

Rugby Union

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Marist Rugby Union | Congratulations Jed Cole

Congratulations to Year 12 student Jed Cole on his selection in the Australian Under 18 Sevens squad.

Jed, a valued member of this year's undefeated 1st XV, will travel to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra from 13 to 15 November for a national training camp. The camp gives the squad a chance to train together and gives selectors the opportunity to finalise a team of 13 players to compete in Auckland in December.

Jed's selection reflects his talent, work ethic and commitment, both on the field and in training.

It also highlights the strength of the rugby program here at Marist College. The 2024 1st XV captain, Thomas Howard was selected in the same program and has continued to do well since leaving the College.

Everyone at Marist wishes Jed all the best at the camp.

Marist Rugby Union | Term 4 Optional Preseason Training

Thanks to all those students who continue to attend the preseason program.

The boys have been pushed incredibly hard both on the field and in the gym. They have responded in a positive manner and have enjoyed learning about good training habits and behaviours. It has been pleasing to see the students adapt well, and continue to work hard and connect with each other.

Preseason rugby union training for current Year 9-11. This is an optional five-week training block that runs from Week 2-6, Term 4. Anyone interested is welcome.

Mr Richard Graham, Mr Chris Daykin, Mr Ieti Fetalaiga and Mr Charlie Taylor will lead the field sessions, whilst the athletic development will be under the guidance of our Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, Mr Adam Earnshaw and assisted by Mr Drew Smith.

For all updates and information, please follow the notices on the Parent Orbit.

For those students attending training, see below some healthy and convenient food and smoothie options for post training. These will aid recovery following training and also prepare the students for school.

Tips for Students

Prep the night before. Keep it simple enough that it doesn't become a morning battle.
Use an insulated bag with an ice brick for anything containing egg, meat or dairy, as it will sit in a school bag for a while.
Bring water as well. Smoothies don't replace hydration after an early morning session.
Aim for carbs plus protein. The carbs refuel energy and the protein helps recovery, and together they keep them alert for the first lesson.

Marist Rugby Union | U12 TASRC Training and Trials

The sun was shining!!..and we had 38 Year 5 and 6 students enjoying the training on Des Connor Fields last week. Thank you to those students who were able to make the session and continue to compete for a spot in the final squad of 20.

The College has attended Australia’s largest junior rugby union carnival the past two years and it has been a wonderful touring experience. Both the off field camaraderie and the on field performances make the carnival a memorable event.

The carnival experience runs from Friday 9 – Sunday 11, April, 2027.

The training is as follows –

WHEN: Thursday mornings, Week 2-5

TIME: 6:45am

WHERE: Hayden Oval

DRESS: Marist sports shorts, Marist sports shirt, rugby socks, white or blue socks

OTHER: Mouthguard and headgear if you wear it

Marist Rugby Union – Social Media

@marist_ashgrove_rugby

In 2026 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.

Track and Field

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Mr Rob Martin and Mr Thomas Prole – Co-Head Coach, Track and Field

Marist Track and Field | Sunday Sessions

Mr Martin will continue to run his Sunday sessions for any students preparing for the Nationals in December or interested in continuing to improve their Track and Field capabilities.

Please note, this Sunday will be running only. There will be NO field events.

WHEN: Sundays

TIME: 3:15-4:45pm

WHERE: Hayden Oval

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

Marist Track and Field | Pathways

OPTION 1 - 2026 JUNIOR CLUB PATHWAY

For those wishing to enter the club season and potentially qualify for Nationals in April 2027, you can similarly register for membership with a club and compete at a range of pre-meets before the Queensland State Club Championships in March 2027. These meets will begin in late October 2026. Registering as a member in STEP 1 above will start the process.

Boys can qualify through entry standards. This can be a great incentive as it provides athletes with a clear time or distance to work towards. The main thing to note is that these championships begin at U14 level (or U13 in our school age-group system).

Australian Athletics Entry Standards

STEP 1: Get a Membership - Register as a Base Member (No Club) OR register with a Club (e.g. Ashgrove Rangers – base member fee + club fee).

Note that different levels of membership have different fees and options.

Link to Register: Queensland Athletics Membership

OPTION 2 - LITTLE ATHLETICS PATHWAY

For junior athletes in Years 5 and 6 in particular, Little Athletics can be a great introduction to competition and provides an opportunity to learn the basic movements and techniques before progressing with more specialised coaching in your preferred events. Arana Hills Little Athletics and The Gap Little Athletics are two nearby options for Marist athletes.

Arana Hills Little Athletics The Gap Little Athletics

OPTION 3 - Sunday Sessions

Most Sundays, Mr Martin and members of the coaching team will continue to offer off-season running, fitness, sprints and selected field events, depending on those attending. Except for some State Championship weekends and major meets, these sessions will continue throughout the year. They provide an opportunity to support your other sports while developing speed, fitness and athletic ability.

Students can also discuss training options for their preferred events with Mr Martin and Mr Prole, with guidance available on finding external coaches if required to progress further.

GENERAL QUERY - WHAT MEMBERSHIP DO I NEED?

If you have any questions about the above pathways, please contact Mr Martin at robin.martin@bigpond.com or Mr Thomas Prole at prolet@marash.qld.edu.au. They can step you through the process and assist with any questions from parents.

Marist Track and Field – Social Media

@marist_ashgrove_sports

Marist College will continue 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.