2016 Premiers
Best & Fairestlatest news2016 SEASON IN REVIEW
What a year it was for both the First XVIII and Year 10 football teams, both taking out ACC Premierships. For the Year 10s, our quest to become the first Joeys team to go through the season undefeated started with various trial matches and team meetings prior to the season. Heading into Round 1 we were eager to pull on the Joey’s jumper for the first time, get an opportunity to represent the school and to play with our mates. The first game saw us take on St Bede’s. Led by the likes of Avery Knight, Tanner Sadler and Sheldon Ham, we played consistent football throughout the day with outstanding pressure the highlight. A 41-point win was a great way to start off the campaign. Our first away game was against perennial cellar dwellers Mazenod. It proved to be a tough game, but with a memorable speech from Mr Holt at half time the boys lifted to win by 17 points. We were on the road again for Round 3 to take on De La Salle, and Sam Torpy and Jack Henderson led the way to a 6-goal win in the best team performance of the year to date. After our bye week for work experience, we came back ready to play against the fellow undefeated St Bernard’s outfit. It was a very important game in the context of our season and although challenged, we had some great pieces of play throughout the game highlighted by debutant Max Hardwick’s 3-goal haul. It was a nerve racking last two minutes, but we held on by 2 points to ensure top spot heading into the final few games. After a several lunch time meetings where we reset our focus to achieve our goals, we went on to play outstanding team footy in Round 6 versus Whitefriars. The likes of Fletcher Wilson and Baxter Mensch were licking their lips in the forward line in the 94-point win. Going into the last round a home Grand Final was at stake against bottom placed Parade. Although on the day we didn’t play our best footy we stood up in the tough moments, with some late heroics of Sam Torpy who kicked a goal to put us up by one point just before the siren. Although we were very happy with the result we knew we would have to get back to our best footy if we wanted to win the much desired Premiership next week. St Bernard’s made the trip down to Elderslie Reserve for the Grand Final, as did the whole SJC Year 10 cohort which created an electric atmosphere. It was a tough game and very contested early but when it mattered most we responded to each challenge that was thrown at us and stuck to the team football what had got us there all year. Although scores were level at ¾ time, we kicked 5 goals to none in the final quarter to come out 28-point victors. Overall it was a very successful and enjoyable year. Well done to all the award winners – Sam Torpy Best and Fairest, Baxter Mensch and Jack Henderson Runner-up Best and Fairest and Coaches Award Louis Clifton. On behalf of the group I would like to Mr Holt and Mr Lynch, they put in a lot of work which leads to us having such a great football program at the College. They are not only great coaches but also great mentors. I would also like to thank Len Alford and Shane Dawson for their help throughout the season. We look forward to continuing the rich tradition of SJC First XVIII Football in the coming years. Sam Walsh and Tom McCartin Year 10 Football Captains Editor note: Sam Walsh was named Best on Ground in the Grand Final whilst Tom McCartin managed 5-goals in the same game. |
RESULTsGRAND FINAL
YEAR 10 ACC FOOTBALL – Tuesday 31st May SJC Geelong 13.8 (86) def St Bernard’s College Essendon 8.10 (58) GOALS: Tom McCartin 5, Fletcher Wilson 3, Max Hardwick 3, Declan Fenton 1, Louis Clifton 1 BEST: Sam Walsh, Tom McCartin, Thu Sa La, Louis Clifton, Sam Torpy, Baxter Mensch, Liam Dumont @ Elderslie Reserve Newtown ROUND 7 – Tuesday 24th May Parade College Bundoora 10.8 (68) def by SJC Geelong 10.9 (69) GOALS: Declan Fenton 2, Fletcher Wilson 2, Baxter Mensch 2, Sam Torpy 1, Max Hardwick 1, Louis Clifton 1, Nathan Mifsud 1 BEST: Sam Torpy, Baxter Mensch, Louis Clifton, Declan Fenton @ Garvey Oval – Parade College Bundoora ROUND 6 – Tuesday 17th May SJC Geelong 22.9 (141) def Whitefriars College Donvale 6.9 (45) GOALS: Sam Walsh 4, Fletcher Wilson 4, Baxter Mensch 3, Sam Torpy 2, Izaak De Agrela 2, Max Hardwick 1, Avery Knight 1, Jaxon Bruhn 1, Sheldon Ham 1, Louis Clifton 1, Colm O’Connor 1, Hayden Spiller 1. BEST: Sam Walsh, Baxter Mensch, Fletcher Wilson, Izaak De Agrela, Sam Torpy, Colm O’Connor, Jack Henderson @ Elderslie Reserve Newtown ROUND 5 – Tuesday 10th May SJC Geelong 11.7 (73) def St Bernard’s College Essendon 10.11 (71) GOALS: Max Hardwick 3, Nathan Mifsud 2, Sam Torpy 2, Thu Sa La 1, Jackson Bye 1, Avery Knight 1, Baxter Mensch 1 BEST: Thu Sa La, Lachlan Clifton, Sam Torpy, Baxter Mensch, Max Hardwick, Fionn Guina-Stannard @ Elderslie Reserve Newtown ROUND 4 - Bye - SJC Work Experience Week ROUND 3 – Tuesday 26th April De La Salle College Malvern 7.6 (48) def by SJC Geelong 12.12 (84) GOALS: Baxter Mensch 2, Fletcher Wilson 2, Nathan Mifsud 2, Sam Torpy 2, Thus Sa La 1, Jackson Bye 1, Declan Fenton 1, Jack Henderson 1 BEST: Sam Torpy, Jack Henderson, Liam Dumont, Lachlan Handley, Ben Jaska, Sheldon Ham, Louis Clifton @ D.W.Lucas Oval, Malvern East ROUND 2 – Tuesday 19th April SJC Geelong 11.11 (77) def Mazenod College Mulgrave 9.6 (60) GOALS: Will Tammassy 2, Tom Zampatti 2, Sam Walsh 2, Max Visintin 1, Louis Clifton 1, Baxter Mensch 1, Fletcher Wilson 1, Jack Henderson 1 BEST: Sam Walsh, Jack Henderson, Sam Torpy, Louis Clifton, Sheldon Ham, Nick Pratt @ Mazenod College, Mulgrave ROUND 1 – Tuesday 12th April SJC Geelong 12.18 (90) def St Bede’s College Mentone 7.7 (49) GOALS: Tom McCartin 3, Avery Knight 2, Max Visintin 2, Tanner Sadler 1, Louis Clifton 1, Liam Dumont 1, Doyle Madigan 1, Will Tammassy 1 BEST: Tom McCartin, Avery Knight, Tanner Sadler, Sheldon Ham, Doyle Madigan, Jack Grigsby @ Elderslie Reserve, Newtown LADDER |
Match Reports & HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND FINAL V ST BERNARD'SThe Year 10 footy team headed to Elderslie reserve to take on St Bernard’s for the chance to be Year 10 ACC premiers. It was a cracking day for football and the comradery of the team was evident. We knew that it was going to be a big challenge but with the plans in place were confident if we stick to them and achieve our goals we were a good chance of winning.
The team knew that a good start was vital, it was a high pressured first term, St Bernard’s College kicked the first goal but we responded quickly with Fletcher Wilson kicking our first goal as the crowd started to roll in. The backline proved reliable early, competing hard at the contest. With some nice passages of play from the backline it gave opportunities for our forward line. The forwards converted well in front of goal, Max Hardwick kicked a crucial goal on the quarter time siren which put us up by 3 goals at quarter time. Although having a nice led at quarter time the coaches pointed out some key areas that we needed to improve if we wanted to win the game. The boys knew that it wasn’t going to be easy and St Bernard’s responded with some hard tackling and catching us out the back on some occasions. This proved to be a disappointing quarter for us as we let them back into the game, we only kick one goal for the quarter coming from Fletcher Wilson. There were still a few highlights in the quarter one of which was Gus Humphrey’s important golden fist. We headed into half time with a 6 point led. After reassessing at half time there was a big emphases put on the team to be cleaner and to body line the ball when we had the chance. We ran out onto the ground to the applause of our school mates and teachers who were our 19th man on the day. The premiership quarter needed to be a good one for us if we wanted to become the 5th year 10 team to win the ACC premiership. The midfield started well and with some nice taps from Liam Dumont we gave our forwards some good opportunities. Tom McCartin was a great target for the forward line with his outstanding mits, but if he wasn’t marking them he was getting it down to ground for our smart small forwards. With tensions high you could see how determined our boys were to win it in the tough moments. There were a few heated moments in the quarter which result in a bit of biff in the middle of the ground. It was a well contested quarter and we could just feel that they were starting to tire. The fourth quarter saw the coaches challenge the team for the last 20 minutes, we knew if we could win the 50-50 contests it would go a long way to us winning the game. With some nice clearances by Louis Clifton and some great marks from Declan Fenton and Baxter Mensch this created opportunities in the forward line. We finished an enjoyable season with a great Grand Final, defeating St Bernard’s by 28 points. We became the 2nd team in 7 years of Year 10 footy to go through the season undefeated. It was a great reward for all 38 players who played throughout the year. We developed our game as a team and individually which is a credit to the coaches and the players. A huge thanks goes out to all the people who came out and supported us not only today but throughout the season. Thanks to everyone who helped out also. One thing I’m sure all the boys in the squad will take out of this season is how good it is to play with your school peers and further develop great mateships. Sam Walsh Co-Captain Year 10 Round 6 v whitefriarsTuesday’s game saw the undefeated year 10 team head down to our home ground at Elderslie Reserve to take on our rivals in Whitefriars. With the boys looking to notch up another win and move closer to achieving a place in the final, the team went into the game with a first gamer in Jakob Vandermost and also welcomed back our captain Sam Walsh.
The boys knew that a fast start was required if we were to dictate the game. Kicking against the wind in the first quarter, we used the ball very well to jump out to a 21 to 10 lead, with Baxter Mensch slotting two majors for the quarter and Sam Walsh slotting a fair jag after the siren. The group had most of the play and were much cleaner than our opponents who had a fair bit to say on the sidelines! In the second quarter, we used the wind to our advantage piling on 7 goals and extending the margin to 43 points. Our midfield completely demolished theirs, dominating every stoppage and centre bounce and using the ball well going forward. The goals were evenly shared throughout the quarter, and all players played a big part in extending the lead. After halftime, we focused on being composed with the footy in hand and getting the ball out into space to create opportunities. This focus was evident throughout the quarter, as we yet again kicked Whitefriars even further out of the game, this time against the wind. Fletcher Wilson became a dangerous target up forward, slotting multiple goals in the quarter. Once again, our skipper led from the front and kicked a few snags himself. Heading into the last quarter, the boys held a 59 point lead and were well on top in the game. The last term saw the boys kick away booting 8 goals for the quarter, with Fletch again slotting a couple and Colm O’Connor, Hayden Spiller, Izaak De Agreala, Avery Knight and Sheldon Ham all bagging goals. The boys dominated the quarter through the midfield once again and we eventually ran out 96 point winners. We had the opportunity to extend the margin to over 100 points as Baxter Mensch ran into an open goal in the dying seconds but he took a bounce instead of kicking the goal and the siren beat him to it. All in all, the boys played a great four quarter game with everyone playing their roles. With that being said, Sam Walsh was outstanding throughout the guts, leading from the front all day. Baxter Mensch was also dangerous up forward, as was Fletcher Wilson. Hayden Spiller and Colm O’Connor were brilliant in the rucks. Everyone played well and the win was well deserved. Next week we travel to Parade to try and notch up our 6th win on the trot and guarantee a home final. Jaxon Bruhn Round 3 v DE LA SALLERound 3 saw the Year 10 team make another trip up to Melbourne, where we were to face the undefeated De La Salle. For what was to be a tough match-up against a quality side, the boys all knew they had to lift an extra notch, with co-captains Sam Walsh and Tom McCartin not playing. Five boys in Bailey Kampans, Ben Jaska, Nathan Mifsud, Ollie Hanneysee and Jackson Bye, however, got a chance to show their stuff as they came in for their first games.
When we arrived at the ground, we were all a bit shocked to find a big electricity tower right next to the oval, as powerlines were hanging out not far from our heads out on the ground. Despite that, the boys got switched into game mode soon after, as we started to prepare for the game. Louis Clifton and Jack Henderson, vice captains of the team, stood in as captains for the day, with a tough task ahead of them. Winning the toss, we chose to kick with the wind in the 1st quarter, meaning we needed a strong start. The boys began the game well, however not as well as we would have liked, maintaining only a short lead at quarter time. We were able to show signs that we were playing well at times, however we just needed to be more consistent throughout the entire 20 minutes. A shining light of the quarter, however was debutant Jackson Bye kicking his first goal with everyone on the ground getting around him. The boys knew a big second quarter was required up against the wind if we wanted to win this match. The second quarter was a much better display of football, as the boys battled hard in all areas of the ground, refusing to let the opposition beat us to the footy. Although many stood out in this quarter, it was good to see other first-gamer Nathan Mifsud kick his first goal, as a result from a great passage of play. Coming in at half time, everyone knew we had set ourselves up for a massive third quarter with the wind. Although conceding a few goals at the start of the quarter, the boys really made the most of our opportunities after that, as we worked together as a team, and hurt our opposition on the scoreboard. Sam Torpy was a contributor to this, as he was his at his usual best down in the forward line. With a steady lead coming into the last break, victory was now within reach, we just needed to play another hard, solid quarter of footy to finish off. Thankfully, we were able to continue our good form in the final quarter, as everyone played the game out until the very end. The game was completed in style, as we came out on top by six goals, 12.12 (84) to 7.6 (48). A great team effort from everyone. Declan Fenton The Round 3 match against De La Salle at D.W.Lucas Oval in Malvern East is so far one of the best matches of football that the Year 10 St Joseph’s students have played. With a full fighting effort for all 4 quarters, De La Salle didn’t stand a chance. With a few of our strongest players missing, we still managed to sneak a win. The first quarter started with a raring fight with both teams hunting for the pill. As the first quarter was being played, Jackson Bye was lucky enough to snag a lovely goal for St Joseph’s to get the boys up and running for a good game. Sam Torpy then kicked another great goal to give the boys hope that we were well in the game. In the second quarter St Joseph’s put up another great fight with every player giving it their all to win the footy. With great speed from the mids, strong defensive pressure from the backs, and outstanding offensive pressure from the forwards, St Joseph’s pulled in 3 more goals, one by the great Fletcher Wilson, another from first gamer Nathan Mifsud and the last by the beast Thu Sa La which left us leading by 10 points at half time. After a super pep talk by Holty and Lynchy, St Joseph’s where ready to fire at the start of the third quarter. After the first bounce De La Salle didn’t know what hit them with Baxter Mensch slotting a goal with his golden boot from 50 meters out and another on the run. Also another beautiful goal from the man himself Sam Torpy. In the last quarter, the boys thought it was time we put De La Salle to the ground as we laid painful tackles and played fast moving quality football which made De La Salle put their heads down in defeat. With the first gamer Nathan Mifsud kicking the last goal of the game, St Joseph’s pulled in a great 36 point win. All the boys put up a 4 quarter fight with De La Salle and battled with great strength until the very end. The boys are fired up and ready to go for a big challenge in 2 weeks time and are ready to play another fantastic brand of quality football. Liam Dumont |
Round 7 v ParadeComing into the last game of the home and away season the boys were keen to keep an undefeated record. We travelled up to Parade College, one of the longer drives that we had gone on. Parade were looking to get only their second win on the board and they put up a fair fight. We probably went into the game thinking it would be an easy win but Parade thought different.
In the first quarter Parade got the jump on us, kicking three goals. Joey’s boys fought back a little kicking two goals of their own. Parade went into the quarter time break with a five point lead. The boys knew we needed to improve our game if we were going to come away with a win and give ourselves the luxury of a home final. The boys picked up their game a bit in the second, keeping Parade to the two goals and slotting three of their own with Baxter Mensch putting his second through the big sticks. Going into the half joeys snatched the lead back and were up by eight. The Joeys team knew they could still give more and put the opponents away. The third quarter saw the away team increase the lead but Parade still saw the W in sight. Joeys added three more goals, lead by the skip, Louie Clifton. Parade also added two goals of their own which meant Joeys had a 19 point lead going into the final quarter. The boys still knew that Parade would put up a fight right to the finish line and we would have to bring our A-game. The last term proved to be very intense with Parade kicking three goals early in the last term to give them the momentum. After a good piece of ball movement and unselfishness from the captain, Dec Fenton snagged his second to give joeys a seven point lead late in the term. Parade struck with two blows and put themselves up by five with two minutes remaining. The ball was in a congested pack in our forward fifty when Sam Torpy found himself with the ball after a free kick given to him for high contact. Sam used his footy brain, saw no one was on the mark so played on and slotted the goal with 30 seconds remaining to give us a one point lead. We piled men back and came home victors in a nail biter. Sam Torpy had just won us a home final. I think its fair to say that this was not our best performance but the team showed resilience to each other and backed each teammate in and we had got over the line. Sam Torpy, Baxter Mensch, Louie Clifton and Dec Fenton lead the way in securing this win. The boys will play next week at Elderslie reserve in front of their year level and hopefully bring home the glory. Fletcher Wilson Year 10 ROUND 5 V sT bERNARD'S (ROUND 4 BYE)Round 5 saw the Year 10 Joey’s boys back to their home deck in some very average conditions and face the undefeated St Bernard’s College.
The intensity was very high from the very first bounce and the boys knew we were under pressure kicking against the wind, but with the tackling pressure and determination from Thu Sa La inspired the boys to set up our first goal of the match from debutant Max Hardwick. With some great chains of team play and some great ruck work by our other debutant Kyle Williamson, the boys went in at quarter time down by 3 points. The second quarter came and the year 10’s knew that it was going to be another tough quarter. We had the wind and would have liked to take more advantage of that but it didn’t go to plan, we went in at half time trailing by 2 points. The boys held their heads high and went with a more defensive game plan kicking against the wind in the third which was demonstrated brilliantly by Fionn Guina-Stannard, the boys dug deep and put in the hard yards which concluded in a ripping goal from the opposite foot of Nathan Mifsud, the boys were up and about and thinking positively going into the fourth quarter down by less than 2 goals with the scores standing at 51-62 Bernard’s way. The boys knew that we were in with a big chance to win the game kicking with the wind in the last. The last quarter arrived and our leaders really stood up shown by our captain “Lachlan Clifton” who was outstanding all day. A big roost and third goal from Max Hardwick got the boys up and about and in with a sniff with 15 minutes to play. The boys fought it out and managed to get another deserving goal going to the son of David Mensch ‘Baxter’. Bernard’s also got a late goal which put the boys under the pump, but with the resilience of the lads we responded and got a goal in the final couple minutes of the game. The boys were good enough to hold on to a well fought out and deserving 2 point victory with the scores finishing at 71-73 Joeys way. All 24 blokes played their role and did their job which got us over the line. The boys are now excited to take on Whitefriars College in round 6 and looking to keep our undefeated streak going at our home ground Elderslie reserve. Sam Torpy Round 2 v MAZENODThe round two clash saw us take on Mazenod College which was our first away game, this also saw the inclusion of a few boys playing their first year 10 game.
In the first quarter we knew we had to be on our game and our goal was to get off to a great start. The intensity was high early, kicking with the wind Tom Zampatti got us started with two early goals and it was great to see the boys get around him. With some positive pieces of play and some run off the half back we headed into the first break with the lead. The second quarter wasn’t to our expectations, this was felt by the players and coaches. We were addressed at half time and were given an intense but constructive spray highlighting that we need to be more defensive, to win more contested ball and to be more composed with the ball. After being challenged the boys were eager to go out and work on these areas and to get on top in the second half. After the challenge given to us it was great to see the boys responded in such a positive manner. After some great ball movement generated from the backline this emphasised the brand of footy we wanted to play. Some positional changes turned the game back onto our terms, Louis Clifton proved to be very dangerous up forward taking a few nice clunks and presenting well after some great passages of play. Jack Henderson was also instrumental in the midfield getting his hands on the ball and got on the end of some great taps by all three ruckman. Heading in to the last break we were up by 15 points. The last quarter needed to be a big one for us in order to get the valuable four points. The midfielders knew that we had to win the clearances to try and lock it into our forward line and put the pressure on them. Mazenod managed to get the first goal but we responded and kicked a few nice goals, one set up by the nice composure of Sam Torpy. Fletch Wilson sealed the deal for us kicking a goal at the final siren to secure a 17 point win. In the end it was a great win and we will look to keep getting better every week and the boys will be getting prepared for a big game against De La Salle next week. Thanks also to the boys who didn’t play but still came and helped out. Sam Walsh Year 10 Football Co-Captain Round 1 v ST BEDE'STo start off the competition we took on St Bede’s at Elderslie Reserve with the aim to start the campaign off positively. The weather put on a show for us as we had perfect conditions for a game with no excuses to blame.
With a few players missing like the big names of Sam Walsh, Baxter Mensch and Declan Fenton and even a couple more, the boys still had a quality team picked that were confident to put on a good show. The game started well from our half and a few early goals were kicked to settle the nerves. Thanks to the dukes of Tom McCartin and the hard running work from the midfielders, we had a comfortable lead heading into the first break. The second quarter ran much the same as both teams kicked goals here and there. We had much of play but were costly going forward in front of goal and missed some very gettable goals. We headed into the long break with another nice lead but knew we weren’t home yet. The third quarter was a fight back from St Bede’s as the gap of our margin slowly decreased. St Bede’s got on top and kicked a few handy goals and our lead was only 16 points going into three quarter time. In the last quarter a few changes were made and were shown to work very productively. We won the ball in the middle and defended strongly extending our lead and final margin to 41 points ending up as a strong round one win. Many players put on strong performances and the whole team did their bit for the win. The boys were happy with the efforts but are even keener to get stuck into next week playing away against Mazenod and hopefully keeping our undefeated run going. LOUIS CLIFTON & JACK HENDERSON |