Year 10 ACC Football What a year it was for the First XVIII and Year 10 football teams, both taking out ACC Premierships. For the Year 10s, our quest to become the first Joey’s 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.
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.
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.
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 that 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.
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 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.
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 thank 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 & Tom McCartin,Year 10 Football Captains Sam Walsh was named Best on Ground in the Grand Final and Tom McCartin managed 5-goals in the same game.
Year 10 ACC Football Back Row: Colm O’Connor, Hayden Spiller, Thomas Zampatti, Jack Grigsby, Liam Dumont, William Tamassy, Fionn Guina-Stannard Third Row: Jackson Bye, Louis Clifton, Nicholas Pratt, Jack Henderson, Benjamin Jaska, Tanner Sadler, Angus Humphrey, Izaak De Agrela, Jaxton Bruhn, Jakob Vandermost Second Row: Oliver Hanneysee, Sheldon Ham, Lachlan Handley, Fletcher Wilson, Patrick De Grandi, Avery Knight, Declan Fenton, Max Hardwick, Bailey Kampans Front Row: Samual Torpy, Nathan Mifsud, Doyle Madigan, Samuel Walsh, Thomas McCartin, Baxter Mensch, Max Visintin, Thu Sa La Absent: Samuel Barling, Oliver Lewry, Fraser Murray, Kyle Williamson Coaches: Jonathan Holt, Chris Lynch Trainers: Shane Dawson, Len Alford
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