PSA Sport

from Annual: Trinity 2015

2015 Acknowledgements

It was a successful 2015 for the College in the sporting arena as our boys relished the weekly encounters with our PSA counterparts.

Mr Stephen Leahy (’78) Director of Sport

The number of boys who represented the College each week was even bigger than in 2014 when, in the Senior School alone, we were represented by over 128 teams, 12 rowing crews and swimming and athletics teams both of which comprised of over 100 competitors. With a larger student population following the departure of the ‘half cohort’ at the end of 2014, we were able to field additional teams in cricket, basketball, hockey and water polo, thereby increasing the opportunity for the boys to represent the College each week.

Preparation for the summer sport season started in Term 4 2014 and gained in momentum over January during which time there were several camps held and trial games played. I acknowledge the extra effort put in by many of the coaches and boys who gave up a significant part of their holiday to prepare for the season.

Our senior teams produced some excellent results with the 1st VI Volleyball team continuing their tradition of excellence by winning the Brother Carrigg Cup for the third consecutive year. The rowing fraternity won the Hamer Cup, which reflects overall strength in schoolboy rowing for the ninth time since 2002 and the swimming team, in finishing second, had its best result since 2007 with only half a point separating us from Christ Church Grammar School who finished third. The 1st XI Cricket team went through the season undefeated, showing plenty of character to recover from difficult positions many times but finished second to a strong Aquinas College outfit. The water polo, basketball and tennis teams all had their moments but were not able to sustain pressure for long enough periods to mount a serious challenge for the title.

The winter season was highlighted by the success of the 1st XI Soccer team who shared the Lawe-Davies Cup with Christ Church. The season was so hotly contested that going into the final fixture, Trinity, Scotch and Christ Church were all in contention to win the cup and our draw against Scotch in that fixture resulted in a shared title. After a very difficult season in 2014, the 1st XV regained lost pride with some outstanding performances and at one stage were on top of the table, but losses late in the season put paid to any hopes of winning the Brother Redmond Cup. The cross country team finished second in another closely contested season and look forward to another opportunity in 2016 with the majority of runners returning for another attempt at the title. Our hockey, football and badminton teams all won a few games but were not able to threaten the top schools.

At the end of the winter season, our 1st XI soccer coach and former Socceroos player, Shaun Murphy (’87), indicated he would not continue coaching in 2016 and at the same time, long-time team manager, Miss Amanda Marocchi, also stepped down from her position. The College thanks them both for their efforts over a period of sustained excellence which resulted in three Lawe-Davies victories in the last eight years.

A short athletics season resulted in third place and while this was a great effort by the boys in the team, there was again the feeling that a greater commitment to the cause by some boys who did not put themselves forward for selection with any intent, may have seen a more sustained challenge for the Alcock Shield. The third place finish meant that Trinity was the only school to finish in the top three positions in all three ‘whole school’ competitions: the Hamer Cup, the Tregonning Shield and the Alcock Shield. This is an excellent achievement.

There have been considerable improvements to the facilities available to the boys this year. The level of Mann Oval was raised by up to 800mm to try and reduce the impact of the high water table which has for many years meant that the ground would have surface water for most of winter affecting physical education classes, training and the athletics season. Although inconvenient at the time, Mann Oval is now a vastly improved facility. The four new tennis/basketball courts have been a great addition to the tennis, basketball and PE programs enabling more teams to play and train on campus and for a wider range of sports to be offered by the PE Department.

Looking forward, the new double gymnasium is scheduled to be operational by the middle of next year and will have two basketball courts, four volleyball courts, eight badminton courts, a climbing wall for outdoor education, several classrooms, a physiology lab and multiple storage areas. Retractable seating will allow the facility to be used for whole school assemblies and other events. A large part of the ground floor of the current gym will be converted to a strength and conditioning facility and will be about three times the size of the current weights room.

Initial discussions have been held regarding improving the outdated facilities at Waterford with additional change rooms, a purpose built first aid and physiotherapy rooms and the freshening up of the clubrooms and its surrounds. The removal of the demountable currently used as a first aid room and the sea container used for storage will visually enhance the facility.

Congratulations to James Valentine (12.4) who won the JP Ilich Award for Outstanding Service to the School in sport. James represented the College’s swimming and athletics team every year, played three years of 1st XVIII Football, three years of 1st VI Water Polo achieving full colours in both sports and captaining both these teams in 2015.

In closing, I thank the many people who contribute to the ongoing success of our sporting program. In particular, I am grateful to the teaching staff who coach our teams before and after school, the ground staff who prepare quality playing surfaces for the boys to play on, the parents who fill so many different roles from coaching, scoring, catering, towing – the list goes on. Thank you also to the young men of Trinity College who represent our College with pride each week for your efforts and also to the College administration staff who are most supportive of the program.

Mr Stephen Leahy (’78) Director of Sport