Sports Bulletin: Issue 07/23

Director of Sport Address

Round 2 of the AIC Competition was a great success with over 60 teams competing across Chess, Football and Rugby.

Rugby had an amazing round versus St Patrick’s College with only four losses across the twenty-six games played. Well done to many of our Football teams who secured their first victory of the season. In Chess, we had some great results across the Intermediate and Junior teams. A special congratulations to our First XI Football and First XV Rugby teams who continued their winning run. Thomas Rieck was a standout performer in the First XI, scoring three remarkable goals.

I have noticed recently that our standards, both on the field of play and around it, are starting to slide, especially with regards to our sportsmanship and respect towards officials. It has been very disappointing to see many players, and even some coaches and parents, using inappropriate language and continually questioning referee decisions.

Moving forward I would like to see our community change this aspect of our weekend sport routine. Instead of questioning decisions, let’s discuss our thoughts with our own teammates and coaches. Instead of using inappropriate language to express our frustration and emotions, let’s look to regulate through the use of breathing techniques or walking away and refocusing on the next task. Coaches and parents let’s be great role models to our young men, so they learn the appropriate ways to act and respond to adversity.

Many of you may not know that there is an official and respectful way to discuss decisions or concerns with officials. This is done through the team Captain, either at a break in play or at half-time. Respectfully, the Captain is able to have a conversation with the official regarding his (or his team’s) concerns. This is a far better process than the official feeling attacked by negative comments and continued questioning from players, coaches or supporters.

A final reminder that students must wear the appropriate uniform on AIC match days. See photos below. Best of luck to all Villa teams in Round 3 versus St Laurence’s College.

Round 2 Results
Chess results

Football results

Rugby results

Communications
Families are reminded to access all Sport information via the Villanova College website and the Villanova College App. The Locker Room tab provides updated information regarding training schedules and current AIC/trial draws.

The AIC Draw 2023 can also be accessed here. A note that in some cases, draws may not match the AIC draw. Families are encouraged to always check The Locker Room for accurate draws. Weekly Team Lists will be posted regularly to the Parent Lounge and Student Cafe Portals.

Team Photos this Saturday 13 May at Villa Park
The following team photos will be taken this weekend for AIC Football and Rugby. The boys will need to be at the photos 10 minutes before their scheduled time, dressed in their full sports attire. Any latecomers will miss being in the photo. Meet under the Andrew Slack Oval scoreboard.

Team Photos Thursday morning 18 May
The following team photos from Term 1 Sport will be taken in front of Langlands Building at the College on Thursday morning 18 May from 7.30am. Boys must wear full playing kit (including boots/playing shoes and socks) and arrive by 7:30am. The photo will only be taken once, so please make sure you are available on this morning.

• Year 6 Gold Cricket
• First XVIII AFL
• First XI Cricket
• First VI Volleyball

All relevant students and families have also been contacted via email.

Community Events
Friday 12 May                                      P&F Mothers’ Night | 6-10pm | Villanova College
Wednesday 24 & Saturday 27 May    AIC Reconciliation Round (Rugby & Football) v Padua
Friday 2 June                                        Sports Lunch– sportslunch.vnc.qld.edu.au
Saturday 3 June                                   Old Boys Round (Football & Rugby) v Iona
Thursday 15 June                                Villanova Giving Day
Saturday 22 July                                  Villanova Carnival | 4-10pm | Villanova College

Sports Club
Mega Raffle
Mega Raffle tickets are available now!
1 in 200 chance of winning $10,000. Tickets are $100 each.
Available for purchase at Villa Park Canteen or text Jeremy Meredith on 0407895207.

Be in it to win it!

Sports Lunch – Friday 2 June – Tickets Selling Fast
Abby Coleman to MC the Annual Sports Lunch
The Sports Lunch will help us celebrate the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary – 75 years of Villanova College, whilst raising funds to deliver sports and recreation programs and resources for current and future Villanovans.

Date:                     Friday 2 June
Time:                     12 – 4pm
Location:              The Greek Club
Buy Tickets:          https://sportslunch.vnc.qld.edu.au/
Includes:               Two Course lunch, four-hour beverage package, 75th Anniversary gift and loads of entertainment and special guests

We can’t wait to see you there and celebrate the legacy of Villanova College together!

Finally, a massive thank you to our 54 volunteers out at Villa Park on the weekend serving at the canteen and barbecue.  All proceeds will go towards our coaching programs, the new STEM and Sport Science Precinct, and various sports projects at Villanova.

Years 5-Open Rugby families and Years 9-Open Football families will be at Villa Park this weekend. To register your help this Saturday 13 May, please click on the link: Register here.

Term 2 Training Schedule
Please click on the link below for the Term 2 training schedules.

Term 2 Training Schedule

Note the Chess and Strength & Conditioning (S&C) training schedules, plus the sign on link for S&C, can be found on the website and in the College Newsletters/Sports Bulletins.

Chess
Save the date – Opens, Senior A, Senior B, Intermediate A and Intermediate B teams will have Round 4 matches versus St Edmund’s College on Wednesday afternoon 17 May. A bus will be organised for all Chess players and staff on Wednesday afternoon, departing the College at 3:10pm and returning at approximately 6:30pm. Junior teams will have a bye. No matches will be played on Friday 19 May.

What a fabulous round of Chess was had against St Patrick’s College last Friday. With improved scores in the Opens and Senior Teams, including more wins than previously, the shining beacons on the day were the Intermediate and Junior Teams. Combined intermediate A and B scored 25:7, while the combined Juniors closely matched this with 24:8.

On Wednesday, we welcomed Jonathan Jones from Gardiner’s Chess, who will be giving professional coaching to our opens and Senior A and B teams. Students in these teams must arrive at 7:15am on Wednesdays to maximise Jonathan’s time. Arriving any later than 7:25am will mean exclusion from this training session. The format of this will be reviewed following this first session.

Year 5 are also to attend training at this time in V3. Parents of Year 5 students, if your son is unable to attend chess training to other commitments, we will absolutely understand, however the results of playing during training sessions are recorded and will  determine who will be included to play in the interschool tournament on Friday afternoon that week.  Please liaise with your teacher if need be.

This week, we play St Laurence’s away on Friday 12 May. With Laurie’s a strong Chess College, we will be taking Open, Senior, Intermediate and Junior Teams. Transport: Students will be leaving Villanova by bus at 3:15 pm on Friday 12 May to travel to St Laurence’s.  Parents, you will need to collect your sons from St Laurence’s. More detail will follow this week. Please check for final team lists and pickup details on Thursday afternoon in the Locker Room.

Wishing all players the very best this week!  GO TEAM VILLA!

Chess training schedule below:

Ms Kath Underhill, Chess Coordinator

Cross-Country- The Running Wildcats
‘Eighty percent of success is showing up.’ – Woody Allen.

I look forward to getting a gauge on the performance of the cross-country squad as warm-up meets have returned to the AIC Cross-Country program. There have been three warm-up trials scheduled for the 2023 AIC Cross-Country Season.

Racing practice is an important part of training, and all members of the Cross-Country Squad are strongly encouraged to make themselves available for the warm-up meets. For each meet transport will be provided to and from the venue if required. You are asked to leave class at 2.45 pm and quickly move to the front of the school to board the buses.

Remember, there will be no training Wednesday mornings to rest and prepare for the warm-up meets in the afternoon.
The sports uniform or the cross-country uniform (white shorts and Villa running singlet) may be worn to race in at the warm-up meets.
Parents are welcome to attend and watch the races if you are available.

2023 AIC Cross-Country Warm-up Meets

• 17/5 – Curlew Park (Host – SPC meet)
• 24/5 – Runcorn (Host – SLC meet)

AIC Championships | Wednesday 31 May | Curlew Park

I look forward to seeing how well you are running however if you are unable to attend, I would appreciate that you let me know.

Mr Brian Pascoe, Cross-Country Coordinator

Football
Round 2 Football saw us up against SPC. Our Villanova sides performed very well in the second round of the season. At the end of the day, we had a total of 16 wins, two draws and 10 losses. In what has been a chaotic start to football season it was great to see our teams respond positively after Round 1 vs Ashgrove, it was also great to see our Year 5 and Year 6 teams really enjoying themselves out at Curlew Park and playing with great spirit.

The First XI had a dominant 5-0 win against SPC and have started their season in great fashion with two wins. A special mention to Tom Rieck who scored a hat trick in the match, First XI Coaches Tom and Anthony have the team playing a great positive brand of Football which is enjoyable to watch.

We will be taking on very strong opposition in Laurie’s this weekend in our Round 3 fixtures. Could I please remind all parents and players to check the draw carefully this week for game times and venues. Our Junior teams playing at home at Villa Park will also have ‘team photos’ this Saturday, please check the newsletter this week for the team photo times. Our Years 9 – Open teams will be playing away at Runcorn.

I would like to remind all players about the importance of training to the best of their ability and ensuring that what is practised at training filters into the game. There were several close games last weekend and if players continue to put in the hard work, hopefully we can continue to see positive results for Villanova! In addition, please ensure that if you are absent from training that you contact your coach prior to training, so that the coaches can plan effectively and get the most out of training sessions.

Good luck to all the players and coaches this week in your matches against Laurie’s.

Mr Nathan Dufty, Football Coordinator

First XI
Round 2 saw us host St Patricks for our second home game of the season.

It started as a bit of an arm wrestle between both teams, but we managed an early goal with Tom sneaking in near the back post to score from close range. The boys lifted a gear and started controlling the game dominating the midfield. We were rewarded with a second goal close to half time. This time Tom cut in from the right wing to slot home after a defensive clearance from Alex. Halftime 2-0.

Second half saw us continue our positive attacking play. Our midfield of Mitchell Voss, Jasper and Bobby were in total control. This laid the platform for our third goal and hattrick for Tom. Our fourth was a penalty converted by one of our young guns Jordon Solomon after he was pushed inside the box. St Pats did come at us late in the half, but Jared and our defence held firm.

Despite St Pat’s pressure we still managed another goal. Our captain Alex finished things off from close range after a great set piece corner. Another great team performance keeping a clean sheet and scoring goals. Full time 5-0.

In Round 3 we travel to Runcorn to play St Laurence’s which will be a massive test for the boys. It would be great to see the Villa community continue their great support for both our football and rugby teams.”

Mr Tom Carnavas, First XI Head Coach

Rugby
Last Saturday saw 23 of our 28 teams play at home at Villa Park. Days like this are rare due to field availability but they are days that bring the rugby community together and allow parents to be at the one venue and siblings to stay on and support other teams. It’s a day for families to interact with other members of the Villa community and this was evident at the canteen, where many parents jumped in and helped out. Proceeds from the canteen sales go straight to the Sports Club, which filters back into all sports at the College.

The results against St. Patrick’s College were very good with Villa losing just four matches on the day. With a massive round against SLC this weekend, our teams should go in with confidence and be well prepared to take on our traditional rivals. Most games will be played at Runcorn with just a couple of supplementary games, where teams are playing elsewhere.

Mr Chris Everding, Rugby Coordinator

First XV
It was always going to be the scrap of the ages with two of the smaller AIC schools, who over the last few years have continued to develop and grow their First XV Rugby programs. Well, a tough scrap it turned out to be!

It was St Pats who got out of the blocks the fastest with an easy five pointer under the posts from a nice backline starter play in the first three minutes. Fortunately, this try helped kick us into gear and we replied shortly after with a penalty move seven metres out fifteen  left of the uprights that rewarded Captain Jackson Moloney with a try that was converted by Dan Taylor.  This momentum continued with our second try soon after, a slick backs starter play left a hole the size of a moon crater for Ned Godwin to score under the posts untouched, against a fatiguing St Pats outfit, taking the score to 14-7.

The rest of the first half was a frustrating combination of repeated opportunities  going begging through poor execution, lack of trust and over eagerness to get over the white paint. The second half started where the first half finished, we struggled to get into the game in the right way and lacked focus and discipline. St Pats just kept coming and coming but to our credit our defence held tough.  Eventually weight of possession took its toll and via an awkward bouncing kick the opposition regathered the ball and scored a try in the corner that tightened to score line 14-12.

We finally got some phases together, earnt some penalties and marched Pats to 10 metres from their goal line for a line-out. Smart thinking for captain Jackson Connor lead to an uncontested maul try, which got us to a seven-point lead 19-12. The game see-sawed from there, but through gritty defence and a loud Villa crowd we held on to get our second win of the year and remain undefeated.

A special mention to Larry Clarke who was awarded the Peter Daley medal for best player and to Riki Taylor, Jackson Taylor and Ben Addley who had stellar games. Bring on Laurie’s next week, it’s going to be a big one!

Mr Eddie Harris, First XV Head Coach

Villa Park Canteen – AIC Rugby and Football
Our Year 5-8 Football games, plus 9C and 9D Rugby, are being played at Villa Park this Saturday 13 May. We are asking for parents to help by volunteering their time to help serve and/or cook. The barbecue will fire up at approx. 7am and it is usually in the first hour that we need the most assistance to prepare and cook the food. Please drop your son off and help if you can.

Although at times the canteen/BBQ may look like they have enough helpers, please come and offer your time as some of those volunteers may need to get to their son/s games. The canteen/BBQ during the Football/Rugby season is the Villa Sports Club’s main source of income and it can only operate with the help of Villa parents (both Football and Rugby). So please come along and help, meet some new friends and catch-up on what’s going on around the school. We hope to see you Saturday. Even if you don’t register, please come to the door and let them know your keen to help.

Villa Park Volunteers – Sat 13th May

Dogs at AIC Sporting Venues
A reminder to all parents that due to Health and Safety requirements, all AIC Sporting venues are dog free venues including Villa Park. Please do not bring your dog/s.

Strength & Conditioning
The new training schedule for S&C has now commenced. Boys must register here for the Term 2 schedule. Please see below the link to the new Term 2 training schedule.

Register here for Term 2 S&C

S&C Training Schedule – Term 2, 2023 (note two versions)

Basketball
Villanova College is excited to continue the Wildcat’s Basketball Academy in Term 2. The Academy aims to improve the individual skill level of all players in the College to help further the success of Villanova’s basketball program. The Academy is open to all students across Year 5 – Year 8 and offers players an opportunity to acquire and develop new basketball skills from experienced coaches with NBL, WNBL, NBL1 and national and state experience. We welcome players of all skill levels and will provide new players with a great introduction to the game, and for the more experienced player, the chance to take their game to a new level.

WHEN:  Term 2 – Sunday morning (Six-week program began 7 May 2023)
SESSION TIMES:        

•       Year 5               7:30 – 8:30am
•       Year 6               8:30 – 9:30am
•       Year 7 & 8        9:30 – 10:30am

WHERE:  Goold Hall, Villanova College
COST:  $120 for Term 2, Payment is to be made through Villanova College Parent Lounge
UNIFORM:  Reversible Wildcats Basketball Academy singlet available at the Villanova College Uniform Shop for $65.

Please note players returning from last term must complete a new form: Wildcats Registration Form.

It is an expectation that all students contribute to the playing of Saturday sport for Villanova College and should not be choosing the Academy as a replacement for representing Villanova during Term 2.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jordan Mullan on jmullan@vnc.qld.edu.au.

Mr Jordan Mullan, First V Head Coach

Rugby League
Thank you to all students who trailed for the First XIII Rugby League team for 2023. It was pleasing to see many senior students stepping up and showcasing their skills over the two trial sessions. Witnessing the development of a culture of commitment and dedication to rugby league among our boys is encouraging for the future of rugby league at the College.

It is particularly pleasing to note that we had so many boys participating in the trials. This bodes well for our plans to enter a Second XIII team into the AIC Competition this year. With such a strong pool of talent to draw from, we are confident that we will be able to field a competitive team that will represent our College for the upcoming AIC season.

To those boys who missed out on selection for the First XIII Confraternity Team, please do not be discouraged. We encourage you to continue playing rugby league in 2023 as part of our Second XIII squad, as your efforts and dedication will contribute to the development of our AIC and confraternity team next year.

Congratulations to the 21 boys who were selected in Villanova College’s first ever Confraternity Team. In the coming weeks, students and parents will be emailed a full schedule of the Confraternity Carnival week.

The official trials for the upcoming AIC season for all year levels will commence on the week beginning Monday 12 June (Week 9). Please stay tuned for the details as we move through Term Two.

Mr Blake McLauchlan, Rugby League Coordinator

External Achievements
Congratulations to Hendrix Seipel, Eli Paris, Eamon Stanbury, Fraser Hannan, Dominic Bukowski, Benji Casagrande and Diezel Kennedy were selected in the U/12 Metropolitan East Rugby Union side to compete at the State Championships in July.

Mr Shaun McLean, Director Of Sport