Sport
NSW Secondary Schools Rugby 7’s
St Paul’s entered three 14 Years boy’s teams from Year 7-9 at the NSW Secondary Schools Rugby 7’s day on 19 August which was a great show of strength of rugby ability in the College. The 14’s boys red team went through the round robin undefeated, beating Melville High, Kempsey Adventist School, Bishop Druitt College and Hastings Senior Campus with only one try scored against the team.
In the final, St Paul’s took on a strong John Paul College side and won 17-5, meaning our boys will progress to the NSW Rugby Union State 7’s Championships held in Terrigal in a few weeks. The ten players who represented St Paul’s all played with great skill and sportsmanship, great congratulations to Hamish Davies, Tom Prior, Jordy Kirkman-Dates, Ashton Swaine, Cruz Schubert, Ben Hiscock, Kieran Walsh, Callum Appleyard, Harry Moffit and Xavier Whitley-Berrigan. These great fellows are a pleasure to coach, they are determined and play with flair. We are greatly looking forward to their ability to compete at the next level at the state championships in a few weeks.
St Paul's U14’s girls played some great rugby throughout the day and finished runners up. The U18’s girls finished runners up as well, the team played three fixtures throughout the day and progressively improved with a slashing win against Toormina High School in the final game. The girls were particularly impressive in attack with their ability to recycle possession and run into gaps which was a great highlight. The outstanding aspect of the day was the high level of fine spirit afforded to opposition players by our girls and their superb warmup and preparation prior to each game. In particular I would like to highlight the tremendous efforts of our captain Elsie Pearson who led the troops with great passion and inclusivity. Many thanks to our other impressive players, Anabel Hiscock, Emma Jarman, Maddi Lipscombe, Paris Webster, Luana Silk, Layla Thorman, Zara Lee and Nevaeh Buckley.
- Mr Geoff Melville
St Paul’s fielded two 16 years teams in the boys division, and an 18 years boys team as well. All three teams played well throughout the day, with the two 16’s teams going down in the semi finals. All of the boys in the 16 years teams played a ton of footy on the day, backing up for each other when needed, with many of the year 10 boys backing up for the unbeaten 18’s team too.
The Year 9 team lost their second game of the day in cruel fashion to finish second in their pool. All of the boys finished the day covered in mud and clipped grass, ensuring that the washing machine at the laundromat was going to have its work cut out. Oliver Haydon, Pierson Kemp and Lucas Chow were standouts on the day, muscling up in defence and setting the field afire when given some space in attack. The semi final was a brutal affair. Two early injuries saw the team playing eventual winners St John Paul College with only six players. The St John Paul College team were like the mail, they never stopped. No matter our boy’s skill and determination, you can’t win games of football without possession of the football. I stopped counting the score, so you will forgive me for not including it.
The Year 10 team suffered a bit from backing up to help the 18’s make numbers, but still played some amazing football.Their first game against Kempsey High was played in very good spirits, and in a moment that reminded me of my beloved North Sydney Bears back in the day, we stole defeat from the jaws of victory. The boys won their next game pretty comfortably, dominating in defence and streaking away to score some long range tries. One of the highlights of the day was Angus Ryan crossing for a try in the semi final, although all of the boys played with passion and flair. Key players for the Year 10 boys were Mitchell Hornick and Bailey Rogan.
The 18’s team, under the direction of Mr Aiden Tolman, went through the day undefeated. Tries were the order of the day, with Jarrod Clarke and Chace Bryant crossing the stripe too many times to count. Rawdon Drayton crossed for two tries on the day, much to the enjoyment of the rest of the team and the band of supporters that were cheering along. Xander Browne was a standout, dominating the middle of the field and directing his troops like a modern day Napoleon. Many thanks to our Year 10 boys for filling in for the day when needed, too.
A wonderful day of rugby, where St Paul’s experienced many successes across the age divisions. A huge thank you to Mr Aiden Tolman, Mr Geoff Melville and Ms Walsh-McKiernan for their efforts across the day, and of course to Mr Leon Robinson for his organisation and moral support on the day. Days like this are a big part of what makes working at St Paul’s such a special thing, getting to see our students let their lights shine in their own special ways.
- Mr Will Pollock
Netball Schools Cup Regional Finals
St Paul’s competed in the regional finals on Wednesday 27 August with eight teams, taking on Colleges from as far afield as Coffs Harbour and Foster-Tuncurry. The scene was set for some heroics.
The boys played first. Both of the senior boys’ teams (the ones I followed for the day) had tough encounters against fierce and well drilled opponents. Team 1 surrendered an early lead in their first game, and while struggling to wrap their heads around the intricacies of Netball, watched on as their opponent’s goal shooter, shot an almost perfect game to seal a large loss for our team of champions.
Team 2 also struggled to shake the court-rust, going down to their opponents in a score that is better left unsaid. Despite these losses, both teams had fun and were looking forward to redemption in their second games.
Sport, like life, can be cruel sometimes. Both senior boys teams suffered big losses in their second game, although there were some highlights. Harry Moffit and Mitch Clarke showed promise as Centres, bossing their opponents and forcing mistakes with their tenacious defending. Abijit Nagra experienced success as a goal shooter, ticking over five goals to put the good guys on the board. Mannix Baille was dominant at either end of the court, and is responsible for ‘play of the day’, for intercepting a pass and forgetting that he was playing netball and not basketball, and dribbling a short distance down the court. Everyone (including Mannix) saw the humour in this and a good time was had by all.
Team 1 ended up finishing the day with one win, a close victory over Camden Haven High School. After trailing early, the good guys stormed back to win by a solitary goal, with Oliver Haydon and Ashton Kemp proving precise with their shooting. Team 2 narrowly won their final game, too, providing some success for the College’s boys on the day, with Shannon and Abijit taking on the starring role under the net.
The Year 7 boys team had a fantastic day, showing great skill and determination across all three of their games. They started the day with a thrilling match against GLC Foster, which was a tight contest right up to the final whistle going down by 1. The excitement continued as they faced John Paul College in what proved to be the day's highlight, ending in a hard-fought draw that showcased their incredible teamwork. In their final game, the boys put in another strong effort against SCAS, competing in a very close and spirited match. The team's sportsmanship and competitive spirit were on full display throughout the gala day. Spencer Atkinson who worked hard in defence showed great talent throughout the day. As a late addition to the team, Lucas Ballard was a standout performer, playing exceptionally well in both the Goal Keeper and Goal Shooter positions. Cody Notley was a standout performer in center, orchestrating the play and dominating the mid-court with his great performance. This team shows great potential and can’t wait to see them on the court next year. Their coaches Sophie Smailes and Lakyah Bell were a great support for this team and are also excited to work with these boys in the future.
The Year 8 boys team battled it out, playing three grueling games. Their first match was against Taree High, a tightly contested game that saw the boys' teamwork and determination pay off with a well-earned victory. However, the heat and tough competition began to take their toll in the subsequent matches. They faced formidable opponents in both Mackillop and BDC, ultimately succumbing to defeat in both games. Despite the two losses, the boys showed great sportsmanship and resilience, leaving the competition with heads held high, proud of their win and the effort they put in. Harry Simpson played a crucial role on defence, expertly intercepting passes and disrupting the opposing team's attack. Flynn Tolman, playing as a shooter, was a relentless force on the court, demonstrating consistent accuracy that proved invaluable to the team. Their coach for the day, Jada Appleyard, should also be commended for her dedication to this team throughout the day and at training leading up to the competition.
The Year 9 and 10 girls Team 1 started their first game at 10:00am going up against Mackillop College. Our girls came out strong with some early goals on the board and the girls seemed hopeful that they would come away with a win. Ruby McLeod and Amelia Wilson were our confident shooters scoring some great swishes of the net. Mackillop came back hard with quick, fast and accurate passes to each other down the court. Our girls did their best to defend and come back from a loss and we finished the game 22-19 Mackillop’s way. The girls were in good spirits despite a tough, hot game and were proud of their effort and teamwork. Kyarna and Leah Quinn worked the court extremely well with Leah being our top defender and Kyarna holding strong in the centre. The next two games against St Claire’s and John Paul College proved to be tough and although our girls were extremely strong and resilient in the hot weather and losing some of their rolling subs to refereeing, they managed to keep their spirits up and play another two games of great netball but unfortunately fell short in the end. Their hard work, determination and ability to communicate and reflect as a team on their efforts was beautiful to see. They should be very proud of themselves and one another. - Miss Byrne
Team 2 - The second Year 9 and 10 girls team kicked off their first game bright and early at 10:00am against SCAS. Maggie Brenton proudly put one in the back of the net, but let’s just say the scoreboard… well, we agreed not to mention that part. What mattered most? They had fun, of course! Hannah Nixon and Astrid Hilder put up a solid defensive wall, but SCAS still managed to sneak through. When asked about their performance, the girls modestly claimed they simply didn’t want to outshine the other schools. Game two saw them up against BDC. Down two players who were whisked away to umpire and with a couple of mysterious “disappearing acts,” the girls shifted their focus to teamwork. No goals this time, but plenty of effort - turns out the other team was just a little too good. Piper Laird was a stand out performer, in the centre position. By game three, the girls faced Gloucester. Sophie scored a cracker early on, lifting spirits, but the other team had some laser-accurate shots. According to our team, the score felt like 30 - 1 (and they may not be exaggerating). Things got a little fiery on the court with a bit of push and shove, and by the final game the girls decided that a trip to the shops for snacks was necessary. Looking ahead, their new team goal is clear: keep building teamwork. Relentless and full of heart, they never once gave up on the court. - Miss McKiernan
The Year 7 and 8 girls teams were our success story of the day. (details about their preliminary games?). Team 1 in this division finished 3rd overall, after narrowly losing their semi final to SJPC, Coffs Harbour. While I’m no expert, far from it in fact, this semi final was a thrilling back-and-forth game, played with a degree of aggression that was unexpected from yours truly. The St Paul’s girls never gave an inch, giving as good as they got, and traded ‘punch for punch’ with their opponents until the final whistle. The girls were forlorn as they went down a handful of goals and set themselves off to secure 3rd place.
The final was a close affair, the heat of the day and the four games of thrilling netball causing both teams to battle through fatigue. Taking the shade at the eastern end of the court, the reserves looked spent, and as the game proceeded, goal shooting became less accurate from both teams. The good news was that our goal shooter was more accurate than our opponent’s goal shooter, and the girls won.
A wonderful day in the sunshine, with sportsman-(and sportswoman-)ship being the hallmark of the day. I’d like to thank Mrs Kassie Hill and Ms Olivia Bailey for their expert tutelage in netball, and their organisation at the ground. Their passion for this sport was infectious, and I’m looking forward to having another tilt at the world of netball next year. Thanks also to Miss Tahlia Byrne and Miss Khianii Walsh McKiernan for their work on the day. And, as always, thanks to Mr Leon Robinson for his behind the scenes work.
- Mr William Pollock
Upcoming Events
- Diocesan Athletics Carnival - C.E.X International Stadium, Coffs Harbour - Tuesday 2 September - 42 students nominated.
- NSW Secondary Schools State Rugby 7’s Finals - Thursday 11 September at Central Coast Regional Sporting and Recreation Complex, Tuggerah - Our 14 Years Boys and Girls teams have both qualified for this event.
- Cochrane Cup Rugby League Final - Central Coast (Polytec) Stadium - Wednesday 24 September. Our 14 Years Boys Rugby League team will contest this final with our opponents yet to be decided. We will be asking for expressions of interest from Year 8 students who may wish to travel down to watch this event.
Mr Leon Robinson - Teacher and Sports Coordinator