Football Report

Football in 2021 was very interrupted, never the less it was great to be playing again after playing minimal games last year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Despite the delayed and well awaited start, April 10th marked the date for round 1 in 2021. We had a lot of College students involved with the Hamilton Kangaroos, in the Hampden League and the GSWJFL League. Kaeden Talay took out the GSWJFL U16.5 Best and Fairest Award while Max Green took out the U18.5 Runner Up Best and Fairest for the Hamilton Kangaroos. Oscar Hausler and Jock Barrie also claimed the 4th spot in their Kangaroos Best and Fairest for their respected age groups in the Hampden league. Congratulations must also go to Jack Sobey who won the Under 14’s Hampden League Goal Kicking Award and polled very well in the Under 14’s Kangaroos vote count, as did Harry Austin receiving a honourable 27 votes. Angus Frost was also awarded Runner Up in Best and Fairest for the Under 14’s in GWSJFL League – a superb effort. Ollie Wortley was also a joint winner in the Under 16.5 Mininera League competition.

Several boys were deserving of earning a Senior Debut this year for their respective community clubs, this included Henry Bensch, Max Green, Magnus Howells, Jack Wortley and Ollie Wortley, a massive achievement for these boys. Henry Bensch also went on to be selected for the U16 GWV Rebels Development Team.

The First Eighteen College Boys Football team competed against schools from around the region this year and they successfully took out trophy for the competition, with Max Green rightfully earning the Best on Ground Medal for the day. Well done to Jason Hawker, Connor Hunter and Henry Haynes who were also stand out performers for the team. Sadly, the team could not compete at the next level in the Western District Herald Sun competition as it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The College Football Academy continued this year and was integrated as a subject into the Year 8 and 9 curriculum which was an exciting initiative for the school. College Boys and Girls academy students enhanced their skills and challenged each other to get better completing a series of fitness and skill tests to measure their progress and see their improvements. The group also had amazing opportunities to rapidly develop their kicking skills with weekly kicking analysis videos and Zoom sessions with Old Collegian and past AFL Premiership player, Liam Picken. The students also competed in a scratch match between each other, which was recorded and allowed them to further develop different areas of their game.

Unfortunately, girls football this year was majorly disrupted with both junior and senior girls unable to participate in the annual Glenelg Division Competition against the other local schools, however the junior girls managed to squeeze in a training session, and all showed great potential for next year! This year was the first time the Football Academy had multiple girls participating in the program, including Maddi Calvert and Chloe Frost, showing great improvement in their football skills and smarts.

We had several girls, including Annabel Hetherington, Chloe Frost, Maddi Calvert, Ruby Holmes, Beccy Koch and Micaela Meyer, play in the Hamilton Kangaroos Under 18 team as part of the Western Victoria Female Football League. Unfortunately our season finals were cut short, and we missed the opportunities for finals however all girls improved immensely throughout the season. Congratulations to Micaela Meyer who polled third in the teams vote count, as well as Annabel Hetherington and Beccy Koch who also scored well in the count. A highlight throughout the season was watching Annabel Hetherington kick 10 goals in one game! The future of girls participating in college football is bright and I look forward to watching all emerging players strive for success in upcoming seasons.

Magnus Howells and Mitzi Adamson

Basketball Report

The 2021 Junior Boys and Senior Men’s Basketball season saw a great growth in team spirit with some strong individual performances. Despite the consistent interruptions in the season and unfortunate end before a finals series, the boys were able to continue with some positive performances. With the introduction of a Boys Under 18 A and B teams this year, it allowed some players who were previously playing Men’s Basketball a chance to play another game during the week.

There were some strong team performances, including the U14 A and U16 A Boys teams, who were looking like going into the finals with a strong chance. There was also a great development in the U16 B teams and in the U18 division which was able to enter three basketball teams. The 18 A boys were also strong contenders finishing in the top 2.

Luckily, College was able to run the Boys House Basketball Competition on 17- 19 August. The senior boys saw the domination of Laidlaw, led by Ned McArthur, allowing them to come away from the day undefeated all strong wins. Young was able to grab 2nd place only losing 1 game for the day with Learmonth and Berry coming in 3rd and 4th. With an upset in the intermediate boys, Learmonth came 1st thanks to the strong performance of Tobe Adamson. The Junior boys had great success, with the strong Young team (dynamic duo between George McMullen and George Huf) winning each game by 10 points. The overall standing saw an equal first place between Laidlaw and Learmonth wining 6 out of the 9 games, hird place was Young and fourth was Berry. The Girls competition was unfortunately postponed due to another lockdown.

Despite the disruptions faced once again throughout the female basketball season, the five College sporting values of legacy, commitment, passion, character, and mastery were all on show both on and off the basketball court. Students demonstrated their commitment and passion for basketball and were extremely driven to get the most out of the season and opportunities throughout the year.

Despite no finals being played, the female basketball season was a great success, with multiple teams across their respective divisions placing and finishing the season off well. This year was the first introduction to the new Under 18 competition and hopefully it will continue to build in numbers. Senior students highlighted their commitment to basketball with many players, including Jedah Huf, Sophie Cunningham, Finlay Cameron and Georgia Baker-Miller, all playing in both senior and junior competitions during the year. Committing themselves to multiple late, cold nights up at HILAC!

All junior competitions were played with great tenacity and one thing the COVID disruptions have taught us all - is the importance of appreciating and making the most of the moments and opportunities to play sport. Every minute on the court was valued. This attitude was propelled across all junior girl teams with all players showing improvement, enthusiasm and commitment to trainings and games.

Many students excelled in their basketball outside of the local league and a special mention must be given to Jedah Huf who not only played in the Division 3 State Championship tournament for Horsham but managed to win the Grand Final. Go Jedah!

A huge thank you must be expressed to all players, coaches, team managers, parents, and teachers for all the support they have provided throughout this unprecedented season. All the extra time and commitment spent in organising trainings, games and umpires has not gone unnoticed and we would not have had such a successful season without your work! A special mention must also be given to the HBA, Mr Alexander and Miss Brabham for working through such an unknown season, your work and communication has not gone unnoticed from both students and parents. Toby and I thank you for all the effort that has allowed the season to run so smoothly. The College basketball future is bright, and we wish all new emerging and current players, captains and coaches the best for an exciting new season and year of basketball!

Toby Vallance and Mitzi Adamson

Racquet Sports Report

Squash and Table Tennis weekly competitions ran throughout Term Two and some of Term Three (interrupted due to COVID). We had many consistent players on the squash court, with players enjoying the competition each week and also having the chance to participate in a ‘King of the Court’ tournament round.

In the Table Tennis, congratulations to Kody Roth, who made the semi-finals after an exceptionally well-played season but unfortunately no grand final could go ahead due to lockdown. The Squash season is currently paused, and the Table Tennis season will begin again towards the end of the term. Hopefully the Tennis comp will start up as soon as possible, most likely in November.

Alyssa Hocking

2021 Cross Country Report

It was another great year for College Cross Country. After missing out last year, everyone was particularly excited for this year’s big race.

Kicking things off with the annual House Cross Country held down at lake Hamilton, it was a great day out. Congratulations to everyone who competed, a special highlight was the remarkable efforts seen by everyone as they all pushed hard and did their best. The day had amazing conditions for running and for those who had been training and keeping fit, this was the perfect opportunity to show off all of their hard work. A massive congratulations to Luca Wagner who won the 4.2km event for the senior boys, as well as Zoe Addinsall and Jock Nichols who were the first female and male to cross the finish line for the 3km. As always it was a competitive day between the four Houses, with Young House coming out on top with 720 points, Laidlaw in second with 632 points, Learmonth close behind on 631 and Berry on 585 points.

Our top five runners from each age group were then challenged later in the year in the interschool Glenelg Division competition. Despite the wet conditions our athletic Cross-Country runners sealed the deal and took home a clean sweep for the GD “Triple Crown” after previously winning GD Athletics and GD Swimming. At the annual Glenelg Division Cross Country, College placed first in the Female Aggregate with 273 points, first in the Male Aggregate with 307 points and won the Overall Aggregate with 580 points. Congratulations to all those that competed on the day as it was our strong contribution across all age groups that cemented our success.

Special mention to Max Green, Fergus Roberts, Ben Potter, Tobe Adamson, Jack Austin, Luca Wagner, Jock Nichols, Jack Sobey, Jude Alexander, Mitzi Adamson, Poppy Austin, Lucy Roberts, Sarah Anderson, Elsie Adams, Ava Mould and Lucy Fraser who were all place getters and ran especially well with great determination.

Unfortunately the ICCES Cross Country could not go ahead in Melbourne this year due to COVID restrictions.

Finally, a massive thank you to Mr Alexander and Mr Monk for all their contributions to improving and helping out the team this year. Your help has been greatly appreciated.

Grace Austin

Athletics Report

The Athletics 2021 season has been one of great success, and we would like to congratulate all athletes that showed outstanding sportsmanship and commitment to our team. College has seen a wide range of performances on both track and field throughout all three Athletics Carnivals.

A cool and windy day greeted everyone for the Annual House Athletics Carnival. With an action-packed day of events all students were giving it their all, contributing many amazing efforts to accumulate points for their houses. The friendly yet competitive atmosphere saw Laidlaw House take out the Grand Aggregate.

The Glenelg District Carnival was a wonderful day as our College Athletics team came up against some of the toughest competition in the district. The fantastic display of effort saw our College team take home Girls Aggregate, Boys Aggregate and Overall School Aggregate for the day. A massive congratulation must go to all the athletes who participated, for their exceptional performances and uplifting sportsmanship on the day. Stand out performances were awarded to Karoraina Karatau-Keightley and Indeya Talay respectively winning their female age groups. To complete the day we had standout performances by all relay teams, mainly due to not acquiring any disqualifications in batten change-overs for the first time in many years. What a successful day!

After many weeks of training we took a team of 70 keen athletes to Melbourne to compete in the ICCES Athletics competition held at Lakeside Stadium. The day was a great success overall, with the College team taking home the Star Trophy for the 28th time in the last 30 years! For most athletes it was the first time making the transition from grass to a synthetic track. However, with College spirit on show we did extremely well with many first-place achievers on the day. Well done Luca Wagner, Eren Zehir, Magnus Howells, Karoraina Karatau-Keightley, Zoe Addinsall, Margo Hocking, Ruby Holmes, Oscar Hausler, Diamon Dickeson, Izack Mayfield and Jock Barrie for all placing in at least one of their events. An extra special mention must go to Jake Tonissen and Lachlan Rees. Jake smashed the Year 9 Boys Javelin record with a distance of 38.94m, which was more than 6 metres longer than the previous record, and Lachlan managed to get the Year 10 Boys Age Champion. An outstanding achievement!

We would like to thank all staff and students who helped at all Athletics Carnivals to make sure everything ran smoothly, in particular Mr Leigh Alexander for all his dedication and organisation behind the scenes. Another thank you must go to Mr Rohan Garfoot, the College Team Athletics Coach who never fails to make sure all our Athletic team members are adequately prepared and ready to perform to the best of their abilities with the handy tips and tricks up his sleeve.

Finally, an enormous congratulations must go to our 2021 Athletics Team! The determination and commitment to the season is highly valued and we are so proud of all your efforts. Keep striving for those goals and thank you for making our final Athletics season the best yet.

Michael Crowle and Indeya Talay

Athletics Captains

Basketball News

Below is the link for all College basketball players to register for the upcoming Spring/Summer competition. You can also register via the HBA website. You need to be registered by Thursday 21st October at the latest.

College Junior basketball teams for Under 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 have been approved by the HBA for the season and already have been emailed to players, parents and coaches/team managers. Senior teams have also now been approved and sent out. They are also up on the sports centre noticeboard.

If you are playing seniors and juniors, you will need to register twice for both teams but there should be a discount for you. Please contact the HBA regarding this if you have concerns.

Coaches and team managers need to register as well, if either of these are associated with two or more teams you will need to register for each team not just the once.

Seniors - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/faa0dd

Juniors - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/96b42b

The season is likely to start in early November hopefully but this is still to be determined by the HBA depending on government mandated restrictions. Unfortunately training can not resume at this point. Please stay tuned for more information for both of these developments as they occur.

Leigh Alexander

Head of Sport

The Hamilton and Alexandra College Newsletter

Issue 30 · 14 Oct 2021

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