From the Head of Sport

Head of Sport Report

This weekend BMGS will be hosting Football Finals for the BMGS teams that came in either 1st or 2nd in their Division. We will be running a BBQ throughout the day so if you have half an hour to spare either before or after your son/daughter’s game the extra help would be appreciated.

Good luck to the following teams for Saturday:  

• First VII Netball
• First XI and Junior Hockey
• 15s Rugby
• 14s, Second XI and First XI Boys' Football
• First XI Girls' Football. 

We wish you all the very best this weekend and hope to see you progress through to the finals on the 19th August.

Congratulations to the 13 Years Boys' Football XI who have progressed straight through to the Grand Finals after finishing first in their 5-team competition.

All those who are coming along to watch the games this weekend are encouraged to wear blue and gold for BMGS.

Can I also remind everyone that we are guided by the ISA Code of Conduct and any inappropriate behaviour will not be condoned. Thank you in advance for your support in this matter.

Presentation Evenings

Winter sport presentations are coming up and I would like to remind all team captains that they need to be organising gifts for coaches. Captains also need to be liaising with MICs to find out what needs to be done for the smooth running of the night.

• Netball:   29th August, in Coote Hall from 5:30pm
• Hockey:   30th August, in Coote Hall from 5:30pm
• Football (Girls and Boys):  31st August, in Cuff Hall from 5:30pm
• Rugby:  This will be held in collaboration with Redlands Rugby on 16th September. Details have been sent to players. Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you have any photos from the season that can be used for the presentation evening please pass these onto your MIC.

Co-Curricular Photos

A reminder to sporting teams that co-curricular photos will be taken on the Tuesday, 22nd August. All players from summer and winter teams are to wear their full sports uniform including yellow polo. If you are also a member of a Firsts team you will need to bring your full playing strip and correct footwear.

Gold and Blue Colours

A reminder to all Year 12 students that Colours nominations are now open and will close on 10th August. If you are unsure of what needs to be done please come and see me at my office.

Athletics Carnival

The ISA Athletics carnival will be held on 12th September. The team list is on the sports noticeboard and notes have been distributed via MyBMGS. Please come and see me if there are issues regarding the events that you are entered in.

Any students who currently participate in triple jump or hurdle events through Little Athletics can come and see me at the sports office for further information.

If you do not have a BMGS Basketball or Athletics singlet you will be required to hire one from the Uniform Shop. All athletes are to wear navy shorts or tights to compete.

Orienteering

Last year BMGS students were involved in a number of orienteering events. The NSW Schools orienteering competition will be held on 26th and 27th August. 

The 2023 NSW Schools Orienteering Championships are a two-day event, and you may enter either Saturday or Sunday, or both days. 

Description of the events: 

Saturday: The competition on this day consists of two ‘sprint’ races with lots of twists and turns. Courses are short (1.5-3km depending on the age class) and are held mainly in urban environments with clear boundaries.  The winning time in each age class will be approximately 15-20 minutes. 

Venue: The Kings School, Pennant Hills Rd, North Parramatta (Race 1 from 9:30am; Race 2 from 2:00pm).

Sunday: On this day there will be one ‘middle distance’ race, held in a bush environment and designed to test cross-country navigation. Courses are of medium distance (1.5-6km depending on the age class). The winning time in each Age class will be approximately 50 minutes. All participants must carry a whistle – if you do not have one, we will supply one. 

Venue: Blue Mountains National Park, North End of Fairlight Rd, Mulgoa from 9:30am

Electronic timing hire is free for schools’ competitors. Please tick the box in TryBooking to indicate you require a stick. Entries: Online entries close 16th August. You must enter individually, as it is not the responsibility of the school to enter on your behalf. Payment is by credit card. If you do not have a credit card or want further information, please contact Lyn Malmgron (0414 397 584, lynmalmgron@bigpond.com) 

Students are to Enter via https://www.trybooking.com/CIJVT.

For further information and for non-student entry: 

Saturday: Eventor Australia - Event information: 2023 NSW State League #12 - Sprint (NSW Schools Champs) 

Sunday:   Eventor Australia - Event information: 2023 NSW State League #13 - Middle (NSW Schools Champs).

If you are interested in getting involved in this event this year please come and see me this week in my office.

Megan Harris

Head of Sport

Match Fixtures - Saturday, 12th August

Mrs Megan Harris

Head of Sport

Match Reports, Saturday, 5th August - Boys' Football

BMGS U13s defeated St Spyridons, 1-0

From the kick off, the boys quickly established dominance, repeatedly penetrating the Spyridon defence, although failing to convert; sometimes shots went wide, or unluckily hit the upright.  Javier, Emmerson and Caspian enjoyed playing new positions, and had some brave tackles and clearances. Max excelled at the right wing, and was unlucky not to score.  St Spyridon had some good runs, that were always shut down by the Steel Curtain, whose right boot has become quite adept at redirecting balls and sending them back deep into the opposition half for our boys to exploit.  There were a lot of misdirected clearances from our side, with balls being kicked every which way without purpose. This culminated in us unnecessarily giving away a large number of corner kicks, which had all of us on the stands biting our knuckles in trepidation. St Spyridon really piled on the pressure in the second half, and must have been disappointed in failing to convert the many corners that they were gifted by our clumsy clearances. We were saved from ourselves by Ben’s adroit goalkeeping and St Spyridon’s bad luck, as well as by the Grammar Beasts throwing their bodies on the line and ensuring that Ben was never alone to fight the onslaught of shots at goal.  Ben was outstanding in goals, communicating well with the backs, and having the vision and timing of when to play deep. Angus was once more a deserving recipient of the MOM, for saving us, time and again.  Olly showed flashes of his usual magic, creating many opportunities and assists. As always, he worked and communicated really well with Tom and, in the second half it paid off, with Golden Boots unleashing his inner roadrunner and chasing down a long pass from Caspian, then passing it to Captain Valiant, Olly, aka Little Messi, who had positioned himself well in anticipation. Olly then executed a dazzling display of footwork, ending with a perfect la croqueta (that left a Spyridon defender haplessly heading the wrong direction) before tapping it into the corner to bypass another defender and the keeper, who seemed puzzled how the ball ended up in the net. While 1-0 vs Spyro isn’t a scintillating result, it’s a win and we’re through to the final! Overall, the boys mostly did everything right. That’s how we’ve ended top of the league! The defence was solid, the mids were very nimble, with Silas quite competent in the attacking and defensive mid role. The attack was, as always, the spear that brings pain to the opposition, being almost telepathic in their ability to position themselves  and support each other. We’ll just keep working on refining our execution. 

Mr Zen Nzula, Coach

BMGS U15s were defeated by St Spyridons, 6-0

We were even lighter on the ground than usual, this weekend, with Finn and Dylan out to injury and Jed home sick. We pulled a huge range of superstar players up from 14s to fill the ranks this week, and must say a huge thank you to the parents who stayed to watch an extra game!  The boys knew this would be a tough game, so we worked to maintain a positive attitude and focus on skills and communication. Although the score tilted heavily in the favour of the opposition, the BMGS U15s did not give up. The players made a tremendous effort to keep their frustrations at bay, and just played Football.  Toby made some excellent saves in goal, yet again. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to tighten up in defence the way we usually can, and the St Spyridon’s strikers made it through our line a few too many times. Regardless, the game saw many defensive chases to recover lost balls and a few breakaway offensive chances at the upper end of the park.  It was a difficult game to end the season, but one that reflects the work the boys have put into maintaining a positive attitude in the face of defeat.  I have so enjoyed coaching you this year. I know that your 2024 season in Opens will lead you to new skills, training and experience.

Ms Annaliese Stammer, Coach

BMGS Second XI defeated St Spyridon's 9-1

The Boys' Second XI were back on home soil for their last game of the regular season, last week's efforts proving that they are a force to reckoned with as they took points from the league leaders. The boys took on St Spyridon and from the kick off they were on fire. 

The first five minutes saw a nasty foul as BMGS pressed into Spyridon's half. Jem Sullivan stepped up for the freekick that was around 25 yards out from goal. The distance was no problem at all for Jem and he smashed a brilliant long range effort into the back of the net. From the restart, BMGS came out fast again and after a brilliant set of passes between themselves, Laurits, our Norwegian recruit, slotted a beautiful shot past the keeper to put BMGS up 2-0. St Spyridon weren’t giving up easily, however, as they capitalised on a loose ball and got a lucky goal to make it BMGS 2 - Spyridon 1. The boys knew that they had slipped up and had given away an easy chance, but they didn’t drop their heads as they came out even harder from the kickoff. Cooper and Nathan kicked into gear in defence as they linked up with Otto and Charlie from the 15s. After a brilliant corner from Laurits, it was Ben Delaney who charged into the box and got up high, smashing a wicked header into the back of the net.  The Captain, Charlie Mannes, was crucial in his respective position up top as his communication let the boys play with ease as they moved the ball in possession. Another counter attack saw us awarded another corner. Laurits’ cross saw Thomas rifle a volley into the top corner to finish the first half off BMGS 4 - Spyridon 1.  In the second half, Jed applied great impact in the middle, providing support for Jem and Monty Darwin. The boys' dominance continued to put Spyridon on the backfoot and the high press from Charlie and Tom was causing many problems. BMGS took advantage of some St Spyridon’s errors, with Monty Darwin being in the right place to snag a double  goal for the team.  Callum’s efforts in between the posts kept the boys aware and composed; his loud voice provided great direction amongst the team. Charlie Monks earned himself his first goal for the Second XI after many weeks backing up from the 15s, Charlie’s shot firing into the back of the net to make the score now BMGS 7 - Spyridon 1. Not long after Charlie's goal, Jed from the 15s also got himself on the score sheet, earning his first goal for the Second XI with a low flying shot that beat the keeper. With little time remaining, it was only fair to give Callum a run in the outfield. Jem pulled on the Keeper’s jersey and Cal took to the field. With his first kick as an outfield player, our ninth goal of the match was scored by our very own goalkeeper Callum Knussen.  Job well done boys; an  almost flawless game but a much deserved A+ for effort to get us back to our winning ways just in time for the Semi Finals. You boys have had an incredible and exciting season with so much improvement as a team and as individuals, we are all extremely proud of your efforts this season. Semi Final next week. Let’s get it boys!  Man Of The Match - Jem Sullivan (Free Kick Master!). 

Mr Cameron Flaherty, Coach

BMGS First XI defeated St Spyridon, 4-0

The final match of the regular season was upon us as the BMGS First XI was back on home turf to play the only team to whom we had dropped points all season. Our last meeting against St Spyridon had ended in a draw and, with the Semi Finals approaching us, the boys weren’t taking their foot off the gas and were looking to keep our undefeated run alive.  From the kickoff both teams came out strongly. St Spyridon pressed hard, looking for an early chance, but our boys were too quick as we forced them back into their own half. Jack was loud and clear in his direction from goals. Isaac led our new backline formation, alongside Richard and Jaxon, with Connor and Will Zakis playing out wide as the two Wing backs.  Will Grono and Jett held tight in the middle of the park as Max, Flynn and Jaiden linked up for our front three.  Max, Jett, Flynn and Jaiden had some early chances that just fell short as Spyridon held on to keep us away from opening the scoring. The boys kept applying the pressure and with quick subs saw Bill, Trin, Oliver and Xavier take the field. The four fresh legs provided an instant impact as the cracks in St Spyridon's game started to show and their frustration was made apparent. However, the score was still all square and tied up 0-0; the first half finished goalless as the boys took to their sheds for the break.  The halftime talk was short and sweet as the boys knew their first half efforts were strong. No changes were made to our game plan until just before the restart when Jaxon asked Coach Cameron if he could push up for corner kicks.  The second half began and the boys came out firing, a strong counter attack was on as St Spyridon desperately put the ball out for a corner to keep us away from goal. Jaiden Kennedy stepped up and whipped in a great ball to find Jaxon, who opened the scoring with a brilliant header. Full credit to Jaxon as his own idea had paid off very well.  St Spyridon looked for a way back in as they took their chances on goal, but fell short as Jack pulled off some strong saves with ease. Isaac’s work rate was flawless, as he kept the ball rolling in our possession, linking up with Jett and Grono who controlled the midfield comfortably. Oliver’s pace was causing havoc as per usual. Spyridon's frustration continued to show as they picked up a yellow card for another challenge. On the counter, Max, Flynn and Jaiden made runs towards goal. A great through ball from Grono sliced through the St Spyridon backline to find Jaiden in free space, who smashed one into the back of the net for his first goal of the season. Will Zakis, who had been working hard in defence, quickly found himself with an open chance and sent a long range shot into the back of the net. This caught out St Spyridon's keeper to bring the score to BMGS 3 - Spyridon 0. BMGS, now three goals up, didn’t take their foot off the accelerator and continued to dominate. Trin, Bill, Richard, Connor and Jett continued to provide impact and pressure in their respective positions alongside Max and Xavier who worked hard to add to our attacking efforts and Jack with some more brilliant efforts in between the posts. With only ten minutes remaining, Flynn showcased some exceptional aerial skills as he got up to score a header (his fourth header goal of his 13-goal season) to seal the deal and finish our all round team efforts of the day.  This was another classy and dominant performance by the boys to finish the regular season off UNDEFEATED! Massive congratulations to this year's Boys' First XI as they finish the league on top of the table as Minor Premiers. You have earned this and deserve it so much. The school, your coach and your families are incredibly proud of all of you. Big thanks to all the parents, friends and classmates for your support at the game. Onto next week's big home Semi Final. Let’s go, boys! You’ve got this!  Goal Scorers - Jaxon Fraser (1), Jaiden Kennedy (1), Will Zakis (1), Flynn Nichols (1).  Men Of The Match - Jaiden Kennedy and Jaxon Fraser (A well-deserved first goal for you both! )

Mr Cameron Flaherty, Coach