Our Year 12 Seniors, being the ever-resilient group they are, proposed and initiated a netball game against the powerhouse that is St Margaret Mary’s College. As a number of their other events were cancelled due to COVID, they felt this was a way to show their sporting dominance in a sport they had never played before in their lives! How wrong they were. Trials were held and the best 19 IPC Netball players were selected. Training commenced (a whole two sessions) and they thought they were ready to take on SMMC. The first game was an interesting one. The umpires took pity on the boys. There was more stepping and travelling calls than seen at Flight Centre (well maybe not in 2020). The boys were rotated in and out each quarter by the coach and somehow managed to keep up with them. Some superb shooting from Jamie Humphreys and an immediate impact off the bench from Thomas Carey saw the boys’ claw back a deficit and the scores were tied at the end of the game. Extra time was played. Cool heads prevailed and the IPC boys walked away victors in the first game 30 to 27. The ladies from SMMC were not happy and expressed their desire for revenge, even doing so on the College’s social media pages. The second game rolled around quickly, and you could tell by the look the SMMC players eyes that they were ready for a battle. The umpires this game were far less forgiving on the boys. They had to learn quickly and adapt. Some did that better than others. Keenan Whitwam made his longawaited debut in defence and did not disappoint. His aerial skills took the girls by surprise on many occasions. The Finlay twins provided an excellent defence pairing in the game. And Finn Andreassen attempted to match the skills of his very talented twin sister who starred for the St Margaret Mary’s team. Once again, it was tied at the end of the game and extra time was played. However, the
tactical skills and fitness of the girls got them over the line. One win apiece set the scene for the final game. A packed crowd filled the Hall at SMMC. Plenty of support was provided by the Seniors and Phunder made an appearance. The boys decided to reduce the numbers of the team down to the ‘Top 10’. As the girls from SMMC took their first steps onto the court, you could tell they were ready to teach the boys a Netball lesson. The boys also took the court confident that they had learned a lot and were ready. The girls used every trick in the book and, at times, the boys were surprised by their physicality and game knowledge. They got called for a lot of infringements. They would argue unfairly, however…according to the rules, it was correct. It was a see-sawing game with many highlights. Cooper Scott shot a near perfect game in goals. Zack Lowe made his debut in Wing Defence and made an impact. Charlton Bird provided a great link between the midcourt and goal circle. The chant of ‘C-Bird’ rang across the Hall loudly. Harrison Keir put his body on the line and below out his ankle in the process proving how much he loves the Park. As the game progressed, the girls increased their lead. By the fourth quarter, it was looking ominous for the IPC First VII. However, in true Iggy Spirit, they dug deep and gave the last quarter a really good try and they significantly reduced the margin. However, time was not their friend and they finished the game with a loss. To show their gratitude for the series, they presented the SMMC netball team with an embroidered Netball carrier for their equipment. They are hoping that the game will become a tradition for years to come and can hold their head high as the inaugural participants in the game. Craig Brown | Dean of Wellbeing and Coach of the Netball First VII
Netball FRONT ROW: Ieuan Harker, Aiden Freeman, Harrison Keir, James Laird, Zack Lowe, Corey Garner, Aiden Scott SECOND ROW: Mr C. Brown, Keenan Whitwam, Jamie Humphreys, Jared Mitchell, Hunter Finlay, Charlton Bird THIRD ROW: Finn Andreassen, Lewis Minns, Matthew Kirkpatrick, Colby Finlay, Cooper Scott, Thomas Carey
Ignatius Park College 2020
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SPORTS
Netball
