Sport News

It has been another great year for sport at Marist College Ashgrove. I continue to be amazed at the depth of the program, the breadth of offerings in sport and the commitment of so many staff, coaches, parents and boys to represent the college. It is nice to win, and we have a strong history of success but we also play sport for the opportunities it provides boys to grow. It forms a significant part of a boy’s education, and for many it is the area where they shine and gain confidence in themselves.

We have continued the process this year to improve our sports programs. The intention of these is simply to offer a better product for the boys and our Marist community. The key pillars of the initiatives are better communication, more consistency within sports and across sports, higher expectations of everyone, players, coaches, staff and supporters, more training, better training and integrated training so boys can successfully compete across multiple sports and get the balance with other co-curricular and academic demands and ensuring we find meaningful competition for as many boys as we can across the entire college. The recent introduction of the full-time Sport Coordinators, holiday camps and specialist training highlights this commitment to improving the quality of the programs and the opportunities for boys.

Term 1 provided a number of highlights including our very successful swim team who were pipped by St Peter’s Lutheran College but again produced an extremely high level of performance across the entire program, and we won the double of firsts and aggregate premierships in cricket. 

Term 2 saw our successful cross country team regained the AIC trophy winning both the primary and secondary championships. Both football and rugby had successful seasons, with rugby winning the aggregate shield and the 1st XI football winning the premiership.

Term 3 and 4 saw us defend our Track and Field championship in impressive style with a for our eleventh title in a row, and rugby league finished second in the aggregate shield and third in the firsts. Hockey provided an opportunity again for boys on Friday nights losing a thrilling grand final to St Edmunds College. Tennis finished third in the firsts and second in the aggregate.

It has been another huge year and there are many people to thank for their contribution. Firstly our co-ordinators:

• AFL - Mr Corey Robinson
• Cricket - Mr Derek Lennon
• Volleyball - Mr Patrick Denkes
• Swimming - Ms Jade Ritchie and Mr James Boyce
• Football - Mr Blair Whitlock
• Rugby - Mr Richard Graham
• Cross Country - Mr Matt Millward
• Chess - Mr Tim Humphry & Mr Aaron Manson
• Tennis - Mr Andrew Ward
• Rugby League - Mr Lachlan Gough
• Basketball - Ms Samantha Davids
• Hockey - Ms Kathryn Badini
• E-Sports - Mr Greg Egan
• Track & Field - Mr Richard Graham

• Water Polo - Mr Ryan Apps

   

I want to also thank all the coaches and staff who are involved in these programs for who without the boys would not have the opportunity to participate. Head Groundskeeper Mr Callum Clark and the services team for preparing the facilities and putting forward one of the very best playing surfaces in Queensland each week. Thank you to the volunteers who man the canteens, led by Head Chef Mr Nathan Eyre, and the Marketing and Events team, led by Mrs Bethany Halpin for the hard work. The Sports Office do all the organising behind the scenes to make sure the equipment, draws, information and organisation is taken care of, so thank you to Mr Matt Millward and Mr Corey Robinson for your dedication to the sport program, and for going over and above so regularly to make sure everything happens smoothly. Thanks to Mr John Lambourne, the best Primary Head of Sport in the business. Thank you to our Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, Mr Adam Earnshaw, for working hard to prepare our boys physically for competition. Thank you finally to all the boys, parents and supporters who make Marist the school it is.

After a big year of sport at Marist we are not finished yet. In the coming weeks we have our cricket team involved in the national Marist Cricket Carnival here at Marist College Ashgrove. Good luck to the team at this prestigious event. Thank you to Mr Matt Milward, Mr Michael Abbott and Mr Tom Gibson for leading the boys throughout the week.

We also have our volleyball team participating in the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup on the Gold Coast. This is the pinnacle event in the volleyball calendar and also a great week’s preparation for the AIC volleyball season in term 1. The team have been going through their paces in preparation and are sure to give a good account of themselves in a very high quality event. Thank you to Mr Blair Whitlock and Mr Tim Walker for preparing the team for this event and the coaches looking after the team at the event.

Best wishes to the Marist community for a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

AFL

Cam Mabey, Sports Coordinator – AFL & Rugby League 

Trials 

AFL Trials are now finished for the year. All grades will have one more training trial in the first week that School goes back, this training will be to prepare for the trial round on Saturday 31st January – All boys who have been trialling will play in this round. 

After this trial round, Coaches will finalise selections and squads will be released Monday 2nd January. 

Trials – OPENS

The Opens Grade will have two more trial matches before squads are finalised and the AIC season begins. These will be Friday 23rd January & Friday 30th January. The current opens squad will be contacted about the training schedule details. 

AIC Season 2026

The first round of the AIC AFL Season will be Friday 6th/ Saturday 7th February, and will run for seven consecutive Friday/Saturdays, with the last round being March 21st. 

Year 10s Trial Match 

On Thursday last week the boys trialling for Year 10 AFL in 2026 had a trial match against Mount Maria College’s current Year 9 & 10 combined side. The match was a good opportunity for the MCA boys to gain exposure against players a grade above them. Some late form from Marist proved too late as a strong MMC performance gave our Boys and Charles Tibbetts (Year 10A Head Coach) a lot of learnings to take home. 

A huge thanks to Sean Mulqueen from Mount Maria College for getting this fixture up and running. Sean has also been a valuable coach to the MCA AFL program for a number of years and will continue with the 9A’s in 2026. 

Summer Training 

Over the Summer Holidays, there will be eight AFL Trainings offered to boys in Years 9-12 (2026). These trainings are an opportunity for Boys to come and participate in Fitness, Skills and Conditioning Games to prepare for the Season ahead. These trials will have no influence on squad selections. Please see the following flyer for full details. 

Track and Field

Mr Richard Graham – Director of Rugby / Track and Field

Mr Rob Martin – Head Coach, Track and Field

Marist Track and Field | Nationals Preparation

Marist College students continue their preparations for the National All Schools Championships and the National Schools Challenge, both taking place in Melbourne in early December.

Our athletes have been producing consistently strong performances as they sharpen their skills ahead of competing against the best in the country. Recent meets have showcased some exceptional efforts, including:

• Hayden Lockhart, who set yet another College record in the U15 200m
• Lyndon Maynard, who cleared an impressive 2.00m in the high jump

Congratulations to both boys as they continue to build form, consistency, and confidence at the perfect stage of the season.

We wish all our Marist athletes the very best as they enter the final phase of preparation for nationals.

NEW RECORD

Hayden Lockhart 2025

U15 200, 22.02s

OLD RECORD

Zorro Loli 2000

22.31s

Congratulations to both young men as these achievements reflect their exceptional qualities. Hayden delivered an outstanding performance in the 200m, establishing a new College record, while Zorro established a record that had stood for 25 years.

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

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.

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. 

These sessions will run again this Saturday and next before a break for the Holidays. 

Please see the attached flyer for further details. 

Tennis

Mr Andrew Ward - Director of Tennis

Welcome to this week’s Tennis News

First things first… a huge shout-out to the world’s most unpredictable meteorologists. Sunday’s weather report was so inaccurate it deserves its own unforced error count. Our Xmas Party and Tournament had to be cancelled early so families could plan their day—but of course, the rain cleared, and we would have easily squeezed it in.

Thank you for your understanding, and rest assured: We will instead try to hold an AO-style Fun Day in late January, just before school resumes.  Possibly on the long weekend before school. Bigger, brighter, and with more energy than ever. Stay tuned.

2026 — The Next Step: Elite Squad Upgrade

This is the biggest performance shift our program has ever made.

Today marks the first release of invitations for the 2026 Elite Squad Program, our most ambitious and high-performance pathway yet.

Round 1 invitation go out today.Round 2 offers will follow later this week, filling the final spots.

Only 12 places are available.Three squads. Four players per squad.This is our Semi-Professional pathway.

What makes the 2026 Elite Squad different?

This is not just training — it is a complete athlete development system designed for players aiming for the highest competitive level. The program will include:

• Three high-intensity squad training sessions per week 2 hour sessions
• One shared private coaching lesson every week. 1 hour lesson.
• A fully integrated performance structure focusing on:
  • Advanced technique
  • Footwork mastery
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Recovery systems
  • Nutrition
  • Injury prevention
  • Match preparation, scouting, and tactical development

  • Smaller classes to focus on individuals more closely.

     

Players will also be taught how to identify match patterns, read opponents, recognize weaknesses, and build game plans in a professional manner.

Super League participation is compulsory for all Elite Squad athletes. This is non-negotiable. High-level match play is essential for progression.

Planned squad tours throughout 2026 will allow the athletes to compete as a team, build culture, and experience the demands of tournament tennis together.

This program represents the highest performance standard ever set at Marist Tennis. We are lifting the bar to ensure our best players have the platform, structure, and expertise to pursue true high-performance tennis.

All existing squads will continue unchanged, ensuring that every athlete has a development pathway suited to their individual goals.

Holiday Clinics – December and January

Holiday Camps (8:00–11:00 AM):

• Dec 15–17
• Dec 22–24
• Jan 12–14
• Jan 19–21

2026 Term 1

• Monday 2 February – Coaching resumes

• Term 1 Week 2 – Official launch of the new Elite Squads

   

All students are welcome, including players from neighbouring schools.

Bookings for Term 1 will be opening soon. Jade will email families when the system goes live.

Super League News

A strong finish to the season with two teams reaching the semi-finals.

Our division 2 team pushed the top-ranked side right to the edge in a close loss.Our Division 6 team also produced a proud effort against the number-one team.

We now prepare for the 2026 season, with the next competition beginning in early February.Any parents, old boys, or parent–son pairings wishing to join a team are invited to let us know.

To Our Boarding Students

Thank you for making tennis your home this year. Your commitment, improvement, and the way you represent Marist on and off the court is something we truly value. Take these skills with you long after your time here.

From the Marist Tennis Staff

We wish all families a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If we do not see you before the break, thank you for a fantastic season.

2026 is shaping up to be our most exciting year yet.

The Elite Squad marks a new era for Marist Tennis.

And we are ready for it.