From the Senior Sports Master
Athletics
Rugby
Football
ISA Tennis
Squash
NSTA Tennis
Debating

From the Senior Sports Master

I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to every member of the St Pius X Winter Sports community for your cooperation at our Oxford Falls and Talus St venues last Saturday.

We do appreciate the disappointment that comes when you can't see your sons playing sport but take comfort in the fact that the boys did the College proud on the weekend.

With the College hosting St Gregory's from Campbelltown this Saturday, we have taken the decision to maintain the no spectator protocols this coming weekend. We will advise the community when these protocols are relaxed.

NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED

AT OXFORD FALLS

Individuals should not attend sport if unwell. If individuals have flu like symptoms, they should be tested for COVID-19 and should not return to sport until a negative result is confirmed and they are symptom free. If a positive result is received or they have had contact with a known case of COVID-19 they should follow all protocols and isolation advice as provided by NSW Health.
All players and staff must be listed and contact details be made available.
No spectators permitted at any ISA/IPSHA venue, drop off zones will be clearly marked inside the car park.
SPX car park will be a NO PARK ZONE.
No canteen or afternoon tea provided (students are to bring their own food)
All players to bring their own labelled water bottles. Water breaks will be scheduled by the referee.
The change rooms will remain closed, students should arrive ready to play. Toilets will be available, but players should refrain from changing in the toilets.
Players sanitise hands on arrival and upon leaving the campus. Hand sanitiser provided and available for use at the venue.
Hand shaking is not permitted between players.
Antibacterial wipes available for wiping of benches, soapy water available to clean equipment.
Players and Coaches to leave at the earliest possibility at the conclusion of the match.

For the COVID-19 protocols for Tennis at Talus St please see the ISA Tennis section.

The College will continue to review and amend these protocols as we receive directions from the NSW Government and the Independent Sporting Association (ISA).

Mitch Ellis - Physio (IronAthletic)

It is with pleasure that we announce the return of Mitch Ellis as our physiotherapy provider for 2020. Mitch provides an outstanding service at a very reasonable cost to the boys on a user-pays basis. He is available at Oxford Falls on Tuesdays from 4.30 pm- 5.30 pm by appointment.

His flyer is attached below.

Mr Matt Stearn - Senior Sports Master

Athletics

Training continues this week. With no school carnival taking place this year, these training sessions will be crucial in selecting our squad for the ISA Carnival on Tuesday 8 September at SOPAC, Homebush.

Training will take place on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at Rotary War Memorial Athletics Track: Mowbray Rd West, Lane Cove West from 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm. Buses will transport students to and from Chatswood after school with a 5.00 pm pick-up option at the venue. Students should return to Chatswood by around 5.20 pm.

Training Dates

Monday: 3/8, 10/8, 17/8, 24/8

Wednesday: 29/7, 5/8, 12/8, 19/8, 26/8, 2/9

Thursday: 30/7, 6/8, 13/8, 20/8, 27/8, 3/9

Mr Greg Virgona - Athletics Convenor

Rugby

Results 25 July

Week 1 Rugby Report

In their first hit out as a team, welcoming new talent to the squad, the 13A’s showed a surprising amount of cohesion and confidence. Dominance of the set-piece and ruck ensured quality ball for a backline possessing plenty of strike power. St Patrick’s couldn’t cope when we ran straight and used late footwork at the line. Whilst many of our tries were scored out wide, this came after our forwards compressed their defensive line with damaging carries around the fringes of the ruck. Pleasingly we tackled strongly, counter-rucked with vigour and realigned quickly in defence, thus nullifying any St Pat’s attack. A strong start to the season, though we will need to improve our body height and early ruck work, ball security into contact, and our shape and decision-making in the attacking 22. The 13B’s got off to a rusty start vs SPC but found rhythm with quick service from the halves (Bailey & Liam) giving our outside backs (Caelan, Nikolai, Julian and Fred) clear space to the line. Forwards worked as a pack to retain and recycle ball. Defence was “stout”. A tough but FABULOUS effort from the 13C’s. Many of which are new to rugby and played their very first game on Saturday. Amazing determination, resilience and a positive mindset to inspire us to be assertive this coming week.

The 14’s Rugby had very good hit outs against St Pat’s under ideal Rugby conditions at Airey Park. The 14C’s produced a very entertaining open brand of running rugby for an impressive win. The 14B’s played out a tight struggle being unable to maximise upon strong lead up work to miss out on scoring opportunity to go down. The 14A’s struck a very talented set of backs from St Pat’s who score many against the run of play tries, particularly after our Pius forwards controlled the ruck and breakdown. All three games were great first up hit outs for the 14s Rugby squad.

The 15B's came up against an extremely strong St Patrick’s side who were physically superior which made for a tough first up outing. The side showed positive signs at times with strong performances by Josh Connors, Cormac Molloy, Julian Fitzroy. The 15A’s started their season well, shooting out to a 14-7 lead against St Pat’s. Unfortunately they couldn’t maintain this effort in the back end of the match and went down 33-14 but great efforts for their first match of the year with impressive performances from Oli Aylmer and Gus Patterson, who have been training and trialling with the opens squad during the off-season.

The 16C's had an awesome hit out against a true Cs team in Pats and narrowly went down 26-19. We used this match as a grading trial and many of the boys who played Cs backed up and played in the 16B’s match as well, showing great courage against a stronger opposition. So proud of the boys and strong performances from Isaac Kugel, Ryan Johnson, Nick Green. The 16A’s played out a tight low scoring match, going down 7 nil, with Sam Cameron, Will Stanley, Bailey Perkins leading the way in this match.

The Opens squad got off to a great start with over 60 students turning up for a game against St Pat’s. 32 of those rotated on and off in a tightly contested 3rd XV fixture which featured several students playing rugby for the first time. The match finished 19 points to 17 in favour of St Pat's with strong performances from Tim Boys and Tim St John as well as many others.

The 2nd XV overcame great odds to pinch a win in the final few minutes against archrival Pat’s at Breen Oval on Saturday. With minimal possession and field position the pride in the side’s defensive line was exceptional. A couple of great individual tries to Alex Hart and Lachlan Onslow allowed for a win which will be long remembered.

1st XV Match Report – Mr Mike Cross

The First Fifteen have been working exceptionally hard since November last year on developing a new way of playing and it was great to finally get out on the field after so many disruptions so see exactly where the team is at. Pre-season trials against St Aloysius and Redfield College have provided great opportunities to build combinations and test things out and although the results were exceptionally positive it’s always hard to know exactly where the team is at until that first full game.

St Pat's at their home ground was exactly the challenge the boys needed as they had several big strong ball runners in the forwards as well as a couple of backs with astute kicking games. Early pressure however was applied from the Pius boys with some big tackles straight from the kick-off and strong scrummaging.

Speed of play and eyes up rugby is the goal for the First Fifteen this year and the first points came from a strong ball carry in the middle and quick play back down the blindside to put Duncan Dingley in for a try in the corner.

Constant pressure from our boys at the scrum then lead to a second try from Zach Davidson who also exploited the blind side defence whilst the forwards pushed Pats back at scrum time.

10-0 up was a great start but too many mistakes and poor discipline let St Pat's back in during the middle part of the game as they managed to kick two penalties to close the gap to 10-6 going into the last 15 minutes.

The St Pius boys however have grown to love the last 15 minutes of games where they sped things up and got back to playing with flare and composure. Strong ball carries and great ball retention led to us holding the ball for multiple phases inside the St Pat's 22 and eventually another opportunity presented itself on the short side. Zach Davidson wanted to put his outsides in space but when the defenders drifted off him, he took the gap himself dotting down for his second of the game. Will Chen stepped up to convert giving the boys some breathing space at 17-6.

This breathing space then allowed the boys to get back to playing with freedom and speed which again resulted in building pressure and quick thinking from Zach Davidson created space for replacement second rower Lachlan Onslow to go straight through the St Pat's defensive line. Lachlan then threw a fantastic offload to replacement hooker Alec Patterson who went over close to the posts. Will Chen again added the extras in what was a brilliant way for the team to finish their first game of the season at 24-6.

Although the result was pleasing the team was absolutely devastated to lose Charlie Aylmer to a bad shoulder injury late in the game that will unfortunately see him miss the rest of the season. Charlie is the Captain of the 2020 First Fifteen and his leadership on and off the field will be hugely missed by the group but we know he will be there helping push the boys at training and the rest of the group are looking forward to playing for anyone that can’t.

Rugby Fixtures 1 August 2020

This week we are mostly home vs St Greg’s, but some unmatched fixtures in their as well, and our mighty 13C's heading to Trinity.

Again, this week there are no spectators allowed inside the Oxford Falls Grounds with parents encouraged to follow the drop off and pick protocols in place. Students must be picked up at the conclusion of their match, unless they are a reserve for the team after them. Students are also remaindered to turn up ready to play and bring their own water bottle with their name on it.

The fixture list is below:

1st XV Live Stream vs St Gregory’s College

This weekend the 1st XV match will be live streamed via a private link on YouTube, allowing parents, family and friends to watch the match from afar as we continue with no spectators at the Oxford Falls Campus this week.

To watch the match, use the link below:

https://youtu.be/ev9VReltW2c

Rugby Registration – RE-OPEN please book ASAP

All Year 7-12 students wishing to play rugby are required to be registered to be included in a team, allowing the school rugby administrators & coaches to best prepare for the coming season, plus allow your P&F Rugby Club to best support and communicate with you! There are no trials or grading days, all students of different shapes, sizes and abilities can find a home within the SPX Rugby Program.

To register simply follow the trybooking link below:

https://www.trybooking.com/612469

Rugby Training in Term 3

From the commence of Term 3, Year 7/Under 13s Rugby training will take place at Beauchamp Oval starting at 3:30 pm. If Beauchamp Oval is closed, the Under 13s will travel to Oxford Falls.

Under 14s, 15s, 16s and Opens will train each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at Oxford Falls.

Dates for the Diary

Saturday 1 August – ISA Trial 2 vs St Gregory’s College – HOME

Saturday 8 August – ISA Round 1 vs Oakhill College – HOME

Saturday 15 August – ISA Round 2 vs St Stanislaus College – HOME

Saturday 22 August – ISA Round 3 vs St Gregory’s College – AWAY

Saturday 29 August – ISA Round 4 vs St Augustine’s College – AWAY

Saturday 5 September – ISA Round 5 vs St Patrick’s College – HOME

Mr Joe Lynch - Rugby Convenor

Football

Well done on a successful return to football, albeit some tough matches against St Pat's. It was however, great to see the 1st XI back to their winning ways with a comprehensive 4-0 victory. This weekend sees a combination of home and away fixtures against a variety of schools so please check carefully.

This weekend’s venues can be found at the following locations:

Gwilliam and University fields: Culloden Rd, Macquarie Park

SPC: Francis St, Strathfield

Mason Park: Underwood Rd, Homebush

Walsh and Watkins: Dreadnought Rd, Oxford Falls

COVID19 Restrictions for 1 August: Home games at Oxford Falls are still NO SPECTATORS and drop off / pick up will continue. Matches at St Pat's and Redlands will allow 1 spectator per player, all spectators are expected to register their attendance via an SMS system with details provided at the venue.

Attached to this section of Woodchatta you can also see the DRAFT draw for the remainder of the season. Times and Venues are not available till closer to the time. Please check the Woodchatta each week as this draft draw will most likely change.

Good luck this weekend.

Mr Simon Yue - Senior Football Convenor

ISA Tennis

Saturday saw the first week of the 2020 competition and the season began well! All our players were pleased to be back on the court and, despite seeing no St Pius wins, our teams all played well and fought hard.

This weekend all teams are playing against Oakhill College, except for Division 9 who will be playing at home against St Augustine’s College. See the draw below. Please see the current Spectator Protocols for tennis below.

Just a reminder that all players must attend wearing their full tennis uniform - white shorts, school sports shirt, school tennis cap and school tracksuit (if cold). Also, in case of injury or illness, please endeavour to advise us as soon as possible so that we can arrange for Reserve players to be available.

COVID-19 Spectator Protocols for Tennis as at 1 August 2020

One spectator will be allowed per player at our Talus St Courts.
All other protocols apply.

Ms Amanda O’Brien - ISA Tennis Convenor

Winter Squash

We had our first training session at Willoughby last week with 100% attendance, well done everyone. I hope that everyone enjoyed getting back on the court.

Important points for future trainings/matches: If you have your own protective eye wear and/or squash racket, please bring it to squash (especially important to be COVID safe). We will continue to provide these for those who haven’t got their own. Squash clothes need to be SPX; previous representative squash, PE, or House colours will be fine.

Planning ahead: Ensure your transport from Willoughby after Wednesday’s training (5.00 pm) and to and from Thornleigh for Saturday’s matches (times to be announced).

Please let me know if there are any issues as we enjoy our brief squash season.

Mr Justin Varjavandi, Squash Convenor

NSTA Tennis (Term 4)

Enrolments for Term 4 NSTA have now begun. Please use the attached form or collect a pre-printed enrolment form from the box outside the student office, on the ledge. By completing the enrolment form you are committing to play in the Term 4, 2020 - Term 1, 2021 NSTA Summer Competition.

Please also note that if you are new to NSTA tennis for the College, there will be a trial session one Thursday afternoon towards the end of the term.

Completed enrolment forms should be put into the letter box outside the student office, by Wednesday 12 August. No late enrolments will be accepted. Please note that this enrolment form is for Senior Students only.

Mrs Samantha Iwatani - NSTA Convenor

Debating

Once again, please accept my apology for last Friday’s late conclusion. If you did not receive my email regarding last Friday's late conclusion, please email me and I will forward on to you.

In line with the new Zone 2 Draw below, Weeks 2 and 3 have been swapped. This Friday we are travelling to Marist College Eastwood, 44 Hillview Rd, Eastwood NSW 2122. This is an on-site event and we will be travelling by train to Eastwood on Friday afternoon at approximately 4.15 pm. Once we arrive at Eastwood we will continue training until our 6.00 pm coin toss. The one hour prep time should conclude at around 7.15 pm so debates should conclude at approximately 8.00 pm. Students will telephone parents to let them know the approximate time their event should conclude. There is parking in Hillview Street and COVID-19 protocols stipulate that no parents are to enter the school site. One of our staff members will be stationed at the entrance to the school and will direct students to vehicles at the end of the debate.

NEW Zone 2 Draw

Round 2 Eastwood (hosting) v Pius

Round 3 Gilroy v Pius (hosting)

Round 4 Normanhurst v Pius (hosting)

Mrs Michele Waterson - Debating and Public Speaking Convenor

Football Supporters Club

SPX Football Online Referee Course – Prize Draw & Paid Referee Games at Oxford Falls

SPX boys are encouraged to register and complete the online and free preliminary referee course offered by FFA. See web-link at the SPX Football Folder on Microsoft Teams:

https://www.playfootball.com.au/referee/laws-of-the-game?_ga=2.255398154.385912815.1586174178-586563975.1586174178

The SPX Football Supporters Club (FSC) is offering a prize draw for SPX boys who complete the referee course and obtain their preliminary referee certificate. To enter the prize draw, please send your certificate to the SPX FSC at email: footballclub@pandf.spx.nsw.edu.au

First Prize: Under Armour Sports Medium Size Kit Bag + Referee Whistle (total value $70)
Second Prize: JB Hi Fi $50 Gift Card + Referee Whistle (total value $60)
Third Prize: Nike Premier League Strike 2019 Size 5 Football + Referee Whistle (total value $40)

The prize draw will be drawn at a SPX Football event later in 2020. We are starting to see entries for the prize draw by SPX boys who have completed the referee course. Please join in.

Your preliminary referee certificate can be presented to Paul Cummins, SPX Junior School Football Convenor, to join SPX boys referee team who are paid to referee SPX Junior School football games at Oxford Falls on Saturday mornings.

Mrs Cathy Thomson - SPX Football Supporters Club

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