Last weekend was one of the most successful weekends in recent memory with Marist winning the firsts in all three sports and dominating across the day in most matches.

We started on Friday night with a big crowd at Coorparoo for the First XVIII AFL match against St Laurence’s College. A big crowd was on hand to witness a terrific Marist performance who went hard from the first bounce and never relented to defeat premiership favourite SLC by 5 goals. It was clearly the best performance from this team this season, and another demonstration that Marist spirit, when it needs to be done, Marist boys step up. This win sees us equal first with SLC and Villanova with two rounds to go.

Our First VI volleyball team also put on one of their best performances winning comfortably in three sets to keep a top three finish alive. The boys bounced back well from a tough couple of weeks and showed their skill and ability in a very convincing win. Overall the program had a terrific day with 20 wins and 2 losses overall. Well done to all boys, coaches and staff on a great outcome.

The First XI cricket team bowled beautifully, restricting St Pats to all out for 105. Despite making tough going of the run chase, Will Nickelson anchored our batting to secure the win. The boys find themselves equal first with two rounds to go, with all to play for. Across the board we had a strong day in cricket with our depth as a program showing.

College Hats and Training

If you have training before or after school you will still need to wear your formal hat to and from school. If you are in your formal uniform heading to training you are required to have your formal hat on.

AFL - Mr Adam Earnshaw and Mrs Tara Franklin

Another fantastic round of AFL this week kicking off with the 1st XVIII being victorious over the St Laurence’s College. We are now competing for equal Premiership- exciting times! Big thanks to the Hive for their continued support!

The junior teams versed St Patrick’s College. Both Year 7 teams won and both coaches noted how their team are improving and are listening and responding to coaches’ instructions, following games plan and responding to feedback.

Year 8As went down but fought hard. 8Bs had a tight game but crawled back in the 4th quarter to win the game!

Year 9/10 enjoying training with the firsts this week. Unfortunately, the 9/10As ended up with a BYE. The 9/10Bs had a close game with St Laurence’s College going down by a small margin. Thank you to Jeff DeHeus (9/10 A coach) who filled in as the runner for the Bs.

Even though we have several players injured at the moment, it was great to see them come along in full formal uniform to support and even score the games! With bench numbers being low in most teams it is imperative to communicate any absences with coaches and relevant coordinators ASAP.

1st XVIII Marist College Ashgrove vs St Laurence’s College

The team travelled to Coorparoo AFC - the former training ground for Brisbane Lions and a very nice ground. The boys prepped up and broke off for talks with coaches in their lines before receiving a positive talk from Head Coach Matt Beattie.

Lauries were a formidable opposition and came into the game undefeated for the season but a strong crosswind saw some early wild disposals from both teams. Our boys quickly settled into their now familiar disciplined style of play running tempo and put continual pressure on the opposition and they headed into the first break 3 goals clear. they extended this lead in the 2nd quarter with again strong discipline and some fine displays of skill and teamwork. The opposition looked set to disrupt our control of the game with some early back-to-back goals at the start of the 3rd quarter but our boys regained their composure to settle things down. They managed to hold their lead and extend it in the fourth quarter to eventually take a commanding 4 goal victory. Our boys have two games remaining but are currently in a three-way tie with Villa and Lauries for first place on the ladder. With a bye this week then two games back-to-back the following week (St Peters and St Ambrose) with Lauries and Villa both still to take on Padua.

Congratulations to Jonathan Olesk for his first game goal umpiring and thanks to Owen Hair who mentored him during the game. A reminder that AFL Queensland are holding. Free umpire course on Wednesday afternoon until the end of term from 3:30-4:30 in Room 108. Please register your attendance with Adam Earnshaw- earnshawa@marash.qld.edu.au.

Cricket - Mr Mitch Reid (Cricket Coordinator)

1st XI Match Report - by Will Nickelson

On the weekend we versed St Pats and this game for sure was probably the most important game this season, it was really the premiership-deciding game with Pat's being undefeated and Ashgrove with one loss.

Marist lost the toss and were sent out to have a field. Losing the toss wasn’t a bad thing overall because we knew the wicket had something to it. This very soft and green wicket played out to give us two quick wickets with both openers Tom Davies and Louis Morris striking early. After losing two early wickets in the first four overs Marist were available to capitalise and put pressure on all incoming bats. With their number four bat coming in quite early he just sat around all innings, from batsman five down we had some great bowling partnerships with some very tidy bowling from Sam Lewis who tied us in the game taking two wickets and only going for 25 runs off his 10 overs, Joey Laner bowling an unbelievable spell taking one wicket and struggling all bats that were coming in, some crucial wickets from tom Davies who took 3/22 off 8 and Louis Morris leaving the pats boys all bowled out for 108 in the 29th overtaking 3/14 off his 10 overs. Overall, this was by far our best bowling display and moving onto next week we can take a lot out of this.

With a great end to our bowling innings the bar was set high. 108 was not an easy score and we knew we had to put our head down and try get that win. With the wicket showing a lot of spin and bounce this was going to test our skills out. Piper and Wex withstood some great bowling from pats until Wex were dismissed by a caught and bowled. Five balls after frank piper were knocked over with some pure swing, with not the start needed Brandon and Nickelson needed to value their wicket and so they did. Putting a 46-run partnership on, this was crucial. Pushing through the middle overs we had some vital partnerships between Nickelson and Cleary with them both getting the score to 79 until Cleary was dismissed by getting caught behind and then soon after Nickelson was dismissed by a caught and bowled. This then brought Laner and Morris to the crease and immediately took control hitting a few fours and grinding it out to the win. Ending the game both on 11 not out and finishing the game in the 29th over.

We can take many positives out of this game and next week we move onto St Laurance’s. Come down and support the boys with a 9:30am start and get the boys over the line.

Football - Mr Derek Lennon (Football Coordinator)

As we get closer to the AIC season our trials for A teams in Years 8-10 start this week with times listed below.

The Year 8-10 A team Head and Assistant Coaches will conduct four (4) trials over a 2-week period starting from Monday 6 March. A squad of up to 18 players will be chosen to continue training until the holidays.

8 As Mr Patrick Denkes

Tuesday 7 - 3:30-4:45pm Thursday 9 - 3:30-4:45pm

Tuesday 14 - 3:30-4:45pm Thursday 16 - 3:30-4:45pm

9 As Mr Blair Whitlock

Tuesday 7 - 3:30- 4:45pm Friday 10 - 6:30- 7:45am

Tuesday 14 - 3:30- 4:45pm Friday 17 - 6:30- 7:45am

10 As Mr Aj Gray

Tuesday 7 - 6:30-7:45pm Thursday 3:30-4:45pm

Tuesday 14 - 6:30-7:45am Thursday 3:30-4:45pm

All boys must be registered to play Football. You will not be able to play in the AIC season if you are not registered.

Trials for all other teams will start on Saturday 25 March and continue in the last week of term, with movement expected to continue over the first two weeks of Term 2. Boys are to wear Marist apparel, football boots and shin pads to trial. You can find the selection criteria on the College App.

The 1st XI continue their pre-season now entering the trial matches phase, with games against Brisbane Grammar and Ipswich Grammar already played, and matches against Nudgee College, BBC, The Southport School and Terrace still to come. This extended squad will be cut in the coming weeks as we head closer to the season. The squad will attend a camp at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast from 30th March to April 1. Details to the selected boys will be sent to them.

Rugby Union - Mr Richard Graham (Director of Rugby and Track and Field)

Rugby Ready Program

Thanks to everyone for their support of the Rugby Ready Program – parents, students and coaches. The College is delivering five 75-minute sessions each week to ensure all the students are prepared for the rugby union season.

We have now entered Week 3 of the 4-week program. This week sees a safe progression to contact and a focus on the Scrum “MayDay” call.

It is wonderful to see the bumblebee jersey and/or Marist MCA shirt being worn to all training sessions. We are continuing to deliver higher expectations and standards, and the boys are embracing The Marist Way.

It has been fantastic to see such large numbers at each of the Rugby Ready sessions. Last week, the Year 9 program had over 100 participants attend the Thursday morning session.

A reminder to everyone that the Rugby Ready Program is compulsory for all students wishing to play rugby in 2023.

A huge thank you to the Marist College coaches for their care, guidance and expertise. The integration and alignment of our programs from Year 5-12 will make for a safe and enjoyable season.

Connection

For those people following Marist Rugby on Instagram, how fantastic was it to see the Year 5 and 6 rugby union cohort rubbing shoulders with the 1st XV training squad last week. A significant part of The Marist Way is connecting the Marist rugby community, and both groups of boys had a challenging and enjoyable training session. Well done to everyone and we look forward to seeing plenty more of it throughout the season.

Trials

The rugby union trials are fast approaching. Beginning Monday 20 March, the rugby union season will start training in age groups in preparation for the internal trials on Saturday 25 March. The 1st XV, 10A’s, 8A’s and 7A’s will play the Sunshine Coast Grammar School, whilst the rest of the school will play internal trials.

Other trial opportunities include the Marist Rugby Easter Camp and a full school trial in Term 2 against St Laurence’s College. Every student will have the chance through training and games to put their best foot forward for selection.

Marist Rugby Easter Camp

Tickets for the camp have been selling fast. As of yesterday, the College had sold over 50% of available tickets. For those wanting to attend the camp, please see the Marist app – Rugby Union – All Ages Rugby Camp for the confirmation link.

Marist Rugby Coaches

Thanks to the coaches who gave up their time on the weekend to continue their preparation for the rugby union season. A number of coaches completed the Smart Rugby accreditation and Mr Richard Graham delivered “The Marist Way”.

Thanks to the QRU, this week we have a number of coaches sitting Rugby Australia’s Level 1 and 2 coaching accreditations. It is important for all coaches to continue to develop their skills and understanding, and these courses provide a valuable insight into coaching the modern game.

Track and Field - Mr Richard Graham (Director of Rugby and Track and Field)

National Championships

Great to see three of the College’s middle-distance runners compete last Wednesday night in the Queensland 3000m titles. This was the qualifying meet for the 3000m event at the upcoming National Championships.

Congratulations to ALL 3 of the boys for their strong runs and well done to Zac on his qualification.

3000m

15 Years

Milligan, Zac (2nd place) 9:11.42 (National qualifier)

14 Years

Croft, Perry (11th place) 10:00.91

17 Years

Prole, James (13th place) 9:16.35

Queensland Athletics Championships

Congratulations to Mr Rob Martin (Head Coach, Track and Field) and all of the Marist athletes on their preparation leading into the Queensland Athletics Championships. The event which runs from March 9-12 is a coming together of the best athletes in Queensland. The boys have committed a significant amount of time to their training and we wish them all our very best.

Stay tuned for results in next week’s newsletter.

John Nunan Athletics Precinct

As the College starts preparing to defend its 8 successive AIC Track and Field titles, the John Nunan Athletics Precinct is receiving a timely renovation. Earlier in the month the red tartan track was removed and is now being replaced with a new tartan running surface.

The high-performance precinct provides ideal preparation for a host of athletes, including all jump disciplines and the javelin throwers.

Barring any unforeseen weather, the precinct should be available for training at the beginning of April.

Round 6 Draws

AFL

Cricket

Volleyball

Round 5 Results

AFL

Cricket

Volleyball

VET and Careers News

Mrs Robyn Gooley and Mrs Tara Franklin

Careers Link - Online Networking Evening