SAINTS SPORTS

Around the Grounds

Rugby League

The Saints First XIII and U15s Rugby League squads participated in the final round of the regular season of the Aaron Payne Cup and Cowboys Challenge competitions against Mareeba State High on Thursday of Week 1. The Cowboys Challenge game was a tight, back and forth encounter with Saints failing to capitalise on their 10-0 lead to go into half time down 10-12. An ill disciplined second half saw Saints go down 22-30 at full time. 

The First XIII secured a finals berth in our inaugural campaign earning a 26-4 victory over Mareeba State High. Our undefeated record in the pool games ensures Saints topped the pool and will proceed to the semi-finals against the top team in pool A during Week 5. 

Confraternity Shield 2023 - by College Captain Dyson Nelder

The St Augustine’s First XIII squad travelled to Brisbane on 25 June for the weeklong Confraternity Shield. The squad was accompanied by coaches Mr O’Farrell and Mr Tomarchio, and staff support Mr Gregory, Mr Ward and Mr Connell. On the first day we settled into our accommodation at St Thomas More College, Sunnybank, had a light training run before attending a long opening ceremony at St Laurence’s College. After a 16 to 17 hour day, It was lights out at 10pm, for an early game the next day. 

On day one of the carnival, we secured a hard-fought 6-0 victory against a defensively strong Rockhampton Grammar. Noah Dowdle was named man of the match. In our second game, despite a strong effort, St Patrick's College, Mackay defeated us. 

First up on day two, we faced Marist College Ashgrove. With relentless effort from the Saints side, Year 11 student Jesse Ziegler delivered a remarkable sideline conversion, securing a thrilling 14-12 victory and propelling us into the top eight. Lachlan Magill was named man of the match for his exceptional performance. Later in the day we aimed for another win, against St Brendan's College, Yeppoon. Despite a promising first-half, St Brendan's took the lead with a 10-0 advantage. In the end, they prevented us from securing a top-four position. 

On day four, we secured a convincing win against Rockhampton's TCC with an 18-4 score line. This victory positioned us for a crucial match that would determine our overall placement, either 5th or 6th.

On the carnival's final day, our squad faced off against Shalom College, Bundaberg in an intense match. Although we started strongly, Shalom College emerged victorious.

At the end of this match, our team secured a commendable 6th position out of the 52 teams in the carnival. The Saints First XIII squad showcased their skills, determination and teamwork throughout the tournament, leaving a lasting impression.

The squad expresses our gratitude to the staff who played a crucial role in ensuring a memorable and successful Confraternity experience for us. We extend a special thank you to Mr O'Farrell and Mr Tomarchio for their dedicated coaching and preparation leading up to the event.

We also acknowledge the efforts of Mr Connell, who provided us with nourishing meals throughout the tournament, ensuring we were well-fed and energised. A sincere thank you goes to Mr Gregory too for his invaluable assistance throughout the carnival, and to Mr Ward, who tirelessly transported our gear to and from Brisbane, enduring days of driving.

Photos credit: Evan Morgan, Cairns Post

Townsville Inter-School Mountain Biking Race

On the last Friday of Term 2, Mr Elliott and Mrs Keller accompanied St Augustine’s Mountain Biking team to Townsville to participate in the Inter-School Mountain Biking Race. Saints squad only contested 3 out of the 6 races, managing to attain and overall silver medal. We look forward to growing our participation in this competition in future years. Thanks Mr Elliott and Mrs Keller for their organisation and attendance at this event. 

Photos credit: adriantuck.photography

Bill Turner Football

The St Augustine's Bill Turner Football Squad travelled to Ryan Catholic College in Townsville on Wednesday 12 July, to compete in the North Queensland Regional Final. The squad had been training hard with strong wins in the local competition. Ryan Catholic College presented an immaculate field and our squad was keen to impress. 

An early goal to Jack Edwards at the 10 minute mark ensured a positive start. The team retained possession well and a number of scoring opportunities presented themselves to Saints. Jonathan Galea was strong on the right-hand wing and presented Tommy Ruggiero with an excellent ball, who clinically scored Saints second goal before half-time. The second half began with a crafty goal scored by Dominic Johnson from the kickoff after noticing that the opponent's goalkeeper was well off his line. A further goal to Jack Edwards was awarded in the second after a neat one-two between Jack and Tommy Ruggiero. Solid performances in the back line led by Sam Humphries, Dominic Johnson and Zachary Pitts laid the foundation for a strong performance. The midfield of Ben Bridgman, Jimmy McDonough and Oliver Monin played simply and created several opportunities for the strikers. The squad has made the final 16 football schools in Australia and will compete against the top four teams in Queensland on 8 and 9 August. 

CISSA Season

Congratulations to Saints CISSA AFL and touch football teams who emerged as 2023 CISSA premier teams. These two teams dominated throughout the regular season and easily accounted for their opposition to claim grand final victories with Harry Cook and Lucas Lane being crowned player of the final in their respective finals. Saints CISSA basketball team entered their contest as underdogs against a highly fancied Cairns State High team. Led by Ashley Moore, Saints fought hard, ultimately going down in a tight contest. Well done to all players who represented Saints in CISSA in 2023 and thank you to Saints’ coaches Mr Frazer Rigby, Mr Brett Toombs, Mr Michael James, Mr John Brimstone and Mrs Marie Oldfield for their commitment to the CISSA teams this season. 

Well done to the following students who were the CISSA award winners for 2023. 

AFL: MVP - Zach Parker Coach Award - Mitch Hurst Most Improved - Rhys Woolcott

Basketball: MVP - Ash Moore Coaches Award - Lachlan Imhoff Most Improved - Tumun Kome    

Football: MVP - Daniel Davey Coaches Award - Luca Mauro Most improved - Ryan Tatti

Touch: MVP - Lucas Lane Coaches Award - Cougar Cahalan Most Improved - Jack Rix

Volleyball:MVP - Aiden Prestipino Coach award - Lachlan Morisson Most improved - Matt Belcher

Athletics Carnival 

The annual St Augustine’s Athletics Carnival was held on the Tuesday of Week 10 at Barlow Park. It was great to see so many students participating in the day and getting involved in the events and demonstrating house spirit and sportsmanship. Congratulations to Walter house for a dominant win and the age champions, below. These congratulations must also be extended to all students who placed in events or got in and had a dig as this is what the day is all about. Finally, thank you to the staff who ensured that the day ran seamlessly throughout the day.  

JSS Round 1 vs Peace Lutheran College

Saints took on Peace Lutheran in Round 1 of the JSS competition in Week 1 of Term 3. Saints enjoyed a dominant start to the season with a 5-0 sweep to start the season. Our teams will be looking to continue their dominant start against St Andrew’s in Week 3. 

Peninsula Sport

Year 7 boys have had a huge weekend representing Peninsula school sport in their age group recently in Hervey Bay. Beau, Oliver and Yuri ran their hearts out in the 3kms. A number of Saints boys also travelled the long distance to participate in the Queensland champs.  Well done!

Also, Eden and Tom proudly represented Peninsula in the 18-19 years Queensland School Sport Cross Country 8km race held in Hervey Bay.

A Huge "Thank You" to Our Sponsors

St Augustine's College expresses our heartfelt thanks to the following sponsors for their generous and unwavering support. Your commitment to our teams has been instrumental in our success, providing us with the necessary resources to excel.