We are currently recruiting students to participate in the College’s Surf Lifesaving Program. This is a standalone Summer co-curricular option available to students turning 15 by the end of the year and older. The program will begin in Term 4 and will continue in Term 1, 2023.
Students will complete their Bronze Medallion in Term 4, before being assigned patrols for Term 1, 2023. While the normal cost of a Bronze Medallion course at Bondi is $500 per club member, this program will be charged at approximately $300 given the use of school facilities and teacher support.
Please note that all students must be able to swim 400m in nine minutes or less, as part of their successful completion of the Bronze Medallion course.
Bronze Medallion
We are fortunate to have access to Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, and all SLSC students will become members of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Lifesaving Club, one of Australia’s oldest surf clubs. If students are currently members of another surf club, they are able to retain that existing membership in addition to joining Bondi.
Waverley Bronze Medallion Students outside Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club in 2019
This is a great opportunity to learn important water safety skills, earn a nationally-recognised qualification endorsed by Royal Surf Life Saving Australia, and perhaps, make a life-changing impact in your local community.
Students and families should register their expressions of interest with Ms Zoe Fitzgerald at zfitzgerald@waverley.nsw.edu.au or with Mr Steve O’Donnell at sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au by the end of Week 5, Term 3.
Ms Zoe Fitzgerald
Surf Lifesaving Coordinator
E: zfitzgerald@waverley.nsw.edu.au
>>> Click here to view the weekly Careers Newsletter.
Please see me if you require any further assistance or information.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
E: kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Old Boy, Mark Higgins, spoke to a group of aspiring student leaders in the College Senior Library during Week 2. His brief was to outline what leadership is, its power, and how we are all called to leadership.
Mark spoke as part of a longstanding program at Waverley, where leaders in their respective fields come in to talk to future student leaders. The power of linking to the broader world and connecting to our community to expose our student audiences to real-world practitioners, is of immense value.
Mark, currently a barrister, outlined his work and general life experiences throughout his impactful career, and how his actions are guided by core values originating from his time as a Waverley College student. He outlined how he has applied leadership to those he interacts with through work, and also in social activities and social justice programs outside of work.
Mark challenged students to treat all people with dignity. How can we maintain the sense of an individual’s worth? How can we facilitate bringing out the best in people and assisting people to excel?
Mark outlined one example about his experiences when working with Legal Aid in Western Sydney. Here, he worked with people who have committed serious crimes. He said that his stance of treating people with dignity is the ultimate act of leadership, and he challenged current students to consider this when they act.
He carefully outlined how leadership can be found in all areas of life. His experiences in parachuting, surfing and rugby all involved concepts of leadership and exemplified how we can all be leaders.
Mark’s explanation of the Waverley Crest and how its key aspects including: the gold star and the five gold bars representing Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Religious Virtue: faith, hope, charity, have been a great source of guidance. He said that these values are powerful and great to nurture.
This is first in a series of talks for Mark. We’re very grateful that he will continue to work with selected young men of Waverley, connecting their class studies to the wider world of life outside of school.
>>> Click here to view biographical information about Mark Higgins.
If you would like to contribute in a similar way, via presenting to students with your insights from industry and the world of work, please be in contact with Ms Venettia Miller in Archives, Alumni and Development.
E: vmiller@waverley.nsw.edu.au
P: 9369 0773
Mr Bill Roberts
Head of Library and Applied Philosophy Teacher
E: wroberts@waverley.nsw.edu.au
All 1sts teams will be wearing their Indigenous-designed strip. We have a number of invited guests and formal procedures for the day to recognise the importance of this round.
We hope that as many members of the wider College community are able to attend and support these activities.
The Rock Band Concert originally scheduled for Tuesday, 9 August has been postponed.
A new date will be advised over the coming weeks.
Ms Keiran Kossenberg
Performing Arts Centre Coordinator
E: kkossenberg@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On behalf of the College Community, we wish our Year 12 HSC ATAR students all the very best with their upcoming trial examinations which start on Monday.
Congratulations to all academic award winners from Years 10, 11 and 12 who were acknowledged at Thursday’s College Assembly which was held in the Centenary quadrangle and live-streamed.
It was a beautiful Sydney winter day with the sun out and made even more special with the attendance of approximately 70 parents. In my address to the boys, I highlighted the once-in-a-decade CSIRO report released this week, which identifies seven global megatrends.
The report explores the geopolitical, economic, social, technological and environmental forces unfolding around the world, predicting their likely impact on Australia’s businesses, governments and people.
One of the questions I asked the boys to ponder was the megatrend that was of interest to them as an area for a possible future career. And, which megatrend will impact the business that they are currently thinking about developing post school?
The seven global megatrends are:
1) Adapting to climate change
2) Leaner, cleaner and greener
3) The escalating health imperative
4) Geopolitical shifts
5) Diving into digital
6) Increasingly autonomous
7) Unlocking the human dimension
I noted that these megatrends will provide them/us with challenges, opportunities and insights into where the most powerful innovation can be found. Disruption in our world is coming faster and larger than ever before. And, they will need to develop global competencies such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, character, citizenship, and communication to thrive in this space, pivot, develop trust and be able to change the world.
>>> Click here to view the list of Years 10-12 academic award winners.
Thank you for your support of the Years 7-11 parent/student/teacher conferences held on Monday this week. I hope they proved fruitful and allowed for good dialogue around strengths and areas for development. Research proves that when there is a strong partnership between parents and the school, better academic and wellbeing outcomes can be achieved.
Here at Waverley, we strive for a holistic education for our students and recognise the importance of acknowledging and celebrating success in all its measures. It was with great delight that we celebrated the scholastic successes of our 2021 Major Award winners at Thursday evening’s Academic Reception.
The boys are to be congratulated on their commitment, determination and hard work. These students understand that success does not come from luck or by accident, nor does it come from being in the right place at the right time. It comes from owning your learning, believing in yourself, critical reflection and engagement, setting and executing goals, being curious, stepping outside your comfort zone and having a growth mindset.
Congratulations on your outstanding academic achievements!
Please read Ms Pace and Ms Fernandez’s newsletter article for more information on Years 7-10 Science and ICAS Assessment for Years 7-10 students, and Ms Halpin’s newsletter article on the World Scholar’s Cup.
Thank you for your support of the precautions and measures we are implementing to reduce the transmission of the faster spreading new variants of COVID-19. Whilst I acknowledge the hassle and inconvenience of wearing a mask indoors for students and staff for the next few weeks during a spike in our community, and also the wider community, we support the clear advice given by Dr Kerry Chant (NSW Chief Health Officer) and Professor Paul Kelly (National Chief Health Officer) that where social distancing is not possible, masks should be worn.
My priority is to ensure face-to-face teaching is maintained and that our College operates as normal as possible. With the current teacher shortage in play even in capital cities, and the supply of casual teacher availability low, there is very little room to manoeuvre if COVID-19 numbers get out of hand.
We will continue to adapt and pivot to try to make sensible decisions that allow activities to continue. Debating, for example, will occur this evening, but instead of debating in a normal classroom space, all debates will occur in our larger venues across campus which are 4x the size.
I also believe we need to do everything possible to ensure our Year 12s are able to sit their trial examinations, which are a crucial preparation for their upcoming HSC examinations.
Congratulations to the Junior School who are supporting a number of charities at present through their work, action and fundraising.
The School Fun Run has raised $27,676.00 in the first two weeks of Term 3 and this initiative supports the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia, and Children’s Leukaemia & Cancer Foundation.
The Junior School began a Running Club which takes place each Monday lunch time with staff, students and parents. They are training for the City to Surf, supporting Running for premature babies. Waverley College is in 2nd place on the list of fundraising teams for City to Surf, with $17,100 raised so far.
The Junior School continues to sell Beanies for Brain Cancer, which the students have been able to wear at school until the end of Week 3.
I look forward to hearing the results from the Teacher v Student fundraising initiatives that are taking place over the next few weeks, including dodgeball, Pictionary, Basketball and Theatresports, to name a few.
It is with great pleasure that I announce and congratulate the senior appointments for the 2022/2023 Cadet Year:
The SUO is CUO Kayla Heng
The RSM is WO1 Angus Birrell
Adjutant – CUO Alistair Isaac
Training Officer – CUO Kitty Fitzpatrick
Operations Officer – CUO Sarah Teitler
Logistics Officer – CUO Lenny Joseph
A Company Commander – CUO Matteo Paolella
B Company Commander – CUO Kit Armstrong
C Company Commander – CUO Thomas Brenchley
D Company Commander – CUO Tom Gleeson
Support Company Commander – CUO Mitch Cahill
RSM – Regimental Sergeant Major
SUO – Senior Under Officer
CUO – Cadet Under Officer
WO1 – Warrant Officer Class 1
Please find below key event dates you need to be aware of for the Junior School in Term 3. For all of the College events, please refer to the College calendar.
Primary school is not always about the academic results your son achieves but also the social experiences he creates. I always love visiting one of our spaces in the Junior School, The Learning Hub.
I enjoy seeing the students interact with each other, whether it be playing games, participating in Drawing Club, the lego creations, reading and discussing books or simply hanging out and chatting with friends. As the Director of Junior School, it is rewarding seeing students being inclusive and developing friendships.
The students drew inspiration from illustrators and their favourite things to create a bookmark
Drawing Club Bookmarks
Ms Gabrielle Smith
Director of the Junior School
E: gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The celebration of fathers, grandfathers and significant others in the lives of our Waverley College Students will be celebrated on Friday, 2 September at 12pm (Week 7, Term 3). This will be at Mary Immaculate Church followed by lunch at the Junior School.
Part of the celebration will include a slideshow. Can I please ask that you send through a photo of your son(s) with their fathers/grandfathers if you would like a photo included in this presentation.
Please send through all photos to liturgy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of Student Formation
E: sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Welcome back to Term 3. I hope everyone had a wonderful break despite the weather. You would have received your son’s Semester 1 report at the end of last term. Sitting down as a family and reflecting on all the achievements and areas for improvement is so important for your son’s growth.
It is now a great opportunity to set SMART goals with your son after reflecting on the Semester One report. Moving into Semester 2, they have the opportunity to reach further and achieve more in their learning.
Below is the Curriculum Overview for Term 3 so you can see what your son will be learning in the classroom. It is clearly set out so that you can see the subject and the topics being taught across the curriculum.
>>> Click here to view the 2022 Year 5 Term 3 Curriculum Overview.
>>> Click here to view the 2022 Year 6 Term 3 Curriculum Overview.
Ms Gabrielle Bransby
Assistant Director of Junior School/Curriculum
E: gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Cranbrook v Waverley
Cranbrook v Waverley
Last week, the debaters had tough competition and a tough topic. Both Waverley teams put forward strong arguments and presented their cases clearly and firmly, rebutting the Cranbrook team’s cases. The boys did themselves and Waverley very proud. One win and one loss.
A huge thank you to Gráinne Rigby and Tina Brodie for transporting the teams to their away debates.
>>> Click here to register your son.
Should your son be unable to attend, please email the College at: nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy and Innovation Teacher
E: nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With a performance date less than three weeks away, the Junior School Wakakirri cast are turning up the heat. Our item this year is Oliver! but instead of simply presenting the classic tale from Charles Dickens, our junior boys are performing a very modern re-telling of the story.
Our Oliver does indeed get more – more devices, more screen time, more games and more wins. In fact, he gets so immersed in his digital world that he pushes away all of his friends. He soon finds that he is in a very lonely place and some of the characters he meets there are very nasty. Eventually he finds a way to leave his digital world and rebuild his lost friendships.
In Wakakirri, the boys have seven minutes on stage to present a story that has a positive impact on the world. I am very confident that our cast does just that. Our soundtrack includes music from Imagine Dragons, Queen and Robbie Williams along with some original tracks from online gaming.
This year we are also projecting digital scenery as part of our performance which fits in really well with our theme. Our performance is at NIDA on Thursday, 11 August and I wish all the boys involved a wonderful experience on stage.
Ms Michelle Rollins
Music / Drama Teacher
E: mrollins@waverley.nsw.edu.au
It was disappointing to have all games cancelled (except one) over the weekend, but we’re looking forward to clear weather for Round 9 and the recommencement of the winter season sport.
I would like to applaud and acknowledge the 10As Rugby team. They were the only team who played last Saturday at Terrey Hills, and it happened to be horrible conditions. Impressively, the team didn’t let it get to them, and they went out and fully embraced the opportunity, coming away massive 50-point winners!
10As Rugby … mud, mud, glorious mud!
I know families may have been less than impressed with the amount of mud when returning home, but congratulations for your determination and grit. It’s great to see.
Please follow the link below to ensure you are up to date with any changes to fixtures for Round 9 (Saturday, 30 July). Do keep a close eye on the Waverley College app for any further adjustments.
As the season is coming to an end, we enter a period of rest and rejuvenation as Term 3 progresses. This period is held for the athletics season in the Junior and Senior school combined.
Once the Junior School Athletics Carnival is completed, students who make it through to IPSHA Athletics, and any other students who were considered close to making the IPSHA Athletics team, will be invited to begin training with the senior Athletics teams.
This will be undertaken with the experienced coaches and senior athletes, which is a fantastic opportunity for our Junior students to learn and develop at a faster rate in both Track & Field events in the lead up to the IPSHA Athletics Carnival on Monday, 29 August.
The Athletics season runs from Monday, 8 August to Saturday, 10 September. Students chosen to be involved in the Athletics season will be informed and provided with further information around days and times of training. Students who don’t fall into this category will be given a break from sport.
Training for the second half of the Summer Co-Curricular season will recommence in Weeks 9 and 10 of Term 3, with games beginning at the start of Term 4. During the break from sport, students will still have the Athletics Carnival and FunRun to look forward to.
All Junior School Winter Co-Curricular sports will be having a presentation night as organised and run by the Senior School sport association committees and convenors.
Due to limited attendance numbers allocated for each Presentation Night, Junior School students who have been informed that they are receiving an award will be invited to attend the Presentation Night for their selected sport.
Students who are winning an award will be informed of this next week (Week 3) and more information will be sent out to the families.
The FunRun Fundraiser has seen some amazing achievements within the first week of the fundraising period. One week into the event, I’ll thrilled to share the following milestones reached:
The Junior School is unbelievably impressed by the level of commitment students have displayed, and we cannot wait to see how they progress leading up to the big FunRun event.
We thank all families for being on board and we further encourage you to spread the message far and wide, explaining the causes we’re fundraising for, and the meaning behind each chosen charity.
The three major charities that will evenly share the total amount of money raised for the School FunRun Big Show event include:
The Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation | The Children’s Hospital cares for kids from Bondi to Blacktown, from Bronte to Bourke, touching the lives of every community across New South Wales and beyond. The Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation’s policy is to ensure that every donation specified to a particular medical discipline or service is directed accordingly. Donations which are not specified are directed to the area of greatest need at the Hospital, as determined by the Hospital Management Committee, and approved by the Board of the Foundation, who acknowledge that donor expectation is that donations will support children’s medical care and wellbeing. Each year the demand on the Hospital to replace or buy the newest equipment and fund medical research grows, as do the number of children we care for. In addition to inpatient services, over 200,000 treatments are given to children through Emergency and Outpatient Clinics.
Website: https://www.schf.org.au/ |
Starlight
Children’s Foundation |
The Starlight Children’s Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1982 for hospitalised children and their families. Starlight programs offer entertainment, education and technology to critically, chronically and terminally-ill children.
Starlight receives no government funding so relies solely on the generous support of individuals, the community and our corporate partners. Give happiness to sick kids, teens and their families at a time when they need it most. Website: https://www.starlight.org.au/ |
Children’s Leukaemia & Cancer Foundation | Australia has one of the highest incidences of childhood cancer worldwide. One in 500 Australian children will develop cancer before 15 years of age. Childhood cancer is the single greatest cause of death from disease in Australian children, with three children losing their lives to cancer every week. The quest to find cures for childhood cancer is one of medicine’s greatest success stories. 50 years ago, only two per cent of children with cancer survived. Medical research alone has improved overall survival rates to 80 per cent. With childhood cancer still the leading cause of death from disease in Australian children, there is more work to be done.
The Foundation relies on the generous support of the community to continue its vital research, as they do not receive State or Federal funding. Website: https://childcancerresearch.com.au/ |
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-curricular
E: jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au
There are still two school weeks until the big day (Sunday, 14 August) and this means that:
At the time of typing this report:
>>> Click here to view the leaderboard.
This is an outstanding effort by Team Waverley! Keep up the brilliant work!
Please reach out if you have any questions and please look out for my team emails in your inbox.
Mr Elliott McKimm
Year 5 Teacher
E: emckimm@waverley.nsw.edu.au
*As per the updated conditions of enrolment and as indicated on the College website from 2023, for all Years 5 and 7 enrolments, Term 1 tuition fees are charged in Term 4, in the year prior. This includes continuing Year 6 (2022) students into Year 7 (2023). This replaces the “continuing confirmation deposit” charged in the 3rd Payment to Year 6. Year 5 and 7 will still receive an invoice in Term 1, 2023 for any applicable sundries, excursion fees and camps. Please be advised that if this payment is not made by the due date, your son’s enrolment will be forfeited, and his place will be offered to a waitlisted candidate.
Mr Bryn Gregerson
Director of Business services
E: bgregerson@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Wednesday, a small group of students from Years 5 to 8 attended the ‘Thriving Minds’ Conference at Ascham school in Edgecliff. Ms Julie Arliss, a highly accomplished teacher and author, provided a day of multidisciplinary, university-style lectures and debates, designed to stimulate independent and creative thinking, connect different areas of study, upgrade students’ critical abilities, and encourage a philosophical perspective.
The day began with ‘Justice Truth and Beauty’, which explored the difficulties of achieving agreement about justice, as well as the point of punishment and what it is supposed to achieve.
Isaac Tait
This was followed by a guided community of inquiry. Students were placed in mixed school groups to discuss, ‘Celery Munchers vs Steak Stokers: Is Diet a free choice?’
After lunch, an introduction to ‘Quantum Mechanics’ was presented. Starting with the atom, this session took students into the quantum world.
Finally, ‘This house believes that freewill is an illusion’ was presented and students experienced a live debate and were encouraged to contribute and vote.
For our students, the conference was challenging, yet engaging and exciting. The students said that they particularly enjoyed learning about quantum mechanics, including wave/particle duality and the double slit experiment, and the history of justice and the philosophy behind crime and punishment.
Jethro Venning
Ms Julie Arliss described the participants as, “mature, intelligent and a great credit to your schools.”
Thank you to the following students for representing our College:
Ms Deanne Edwards
Learning Enrichment Teacher
E: dedwards@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Unfortunately, the weather played its part again last Saturday with many fixtures washed out. Thank you to those parents and students that did attend those fixtures that were on, particularly those that were at Oakhill
There were still some notable absences and we will be following up with those students this week. We have two more rounds left in the season for winter and so all students need to ensure that they are meeting their commitments over the next two weeks. This includes Year 12.
This coming Saturday, Waverley College will be celebrating our Indigenous Round with all 1sts teams wearing their Indigenous-designed strip. We have a number of invited guests and the upstairs area of the Pavilion at Queens Park will be inaccessible after 2pm for everyone else.
We also have a number of formal procedures for the day to recognise the importance of this round, and we hope that as many members of the wider College community are able to come and attend, as well as support these activities.
I also want to remind all members of the College community about Codes of Conduct and expectations when attending sporting events.
All students need to act appropriately and be fully attired in College sporting attire or uniform.
All spectators also need to act appropriately. We will have members of the NSW Police Force and security guards in attendance, who will remove any person who is intoxicated or not meeting the required Codes of Conduct.
Winter Co-curricular Uniform
Any student in Years 7-11 who wishes to request a change in their summer activities will need to come and see Mr Wilmot or myself before the end of Week 3 this term.
Not every request will be able to be accommodated and there are a couple of activities, including Basketball and Touch Football, that are already oversubscribed for most age groups.
I understand that this may be disappointing for some students, but we have limited facilities and these sports already have big numbers. We need to ensure that all students are able to get as much playing and training time as possible and there are a number of other activities that are available.
A Senior Student getting ready for a tennis match on the multipurpose courts
Saturday, 6 August is the last round of winter sport and then we will immediately move into the first Track & Field season for two years.
All students are strongly encouraged to participate in this fantastic activity. We have some very impressive coaches in a range of disciplines.
For more information please email our Head Coach Mr Jeremy Roff.
Please also note that any training or Saturday absences due to illness or injury can now be logged via the Waverley College App and parent portal. Please note, that a medical certificate is still required if sick or injured, and any exemption requests still need to be emailed to me.
Well done to Ryan McNamara, Owen Roorda and Aiden Renford who attended the NSW SLS State Pool Rescue Championships last weekend.
Individual results: Ryan – 3 x gold; Owen – silver, bronze
Team events: 2 x gold, 2 x silver.
These boys have now qualified for the national titles and we wish them the very best on their amazing achievements.
NSW SLS Pool Rescue Champs
I also want to say a huge thank you and congratulations to Ms Paula McCabe, Mr Adam Palmer and Ms Louisa Francis for looking after our small contingent of students who represented the College at the NSW Snow Sports competition at Perisher in the holidays.
Rory Muldowney, Dexter Francis, Patrick Palmer and Rory Palmer all performed in a number of different competitions extremely well and wore Waverley College branding on their helmets proudly.
Particular mention to Dexter Francis on his results: Dexter competed in Division 4 where he received a gold medal for coming first in Snowboard Cross, silver medal for Snowboard Giant Slalom, and placed 12th in moguls, 15th for Skier Cross and 18th for Alpine – an incredible achievement for a first attempt!
Congratulations Dexter Francis
Next week we have our winter co-curricular photos in the College Gym after school. The schedule has been posted on the Waverley College App and website. All students need to be appropriately attired to be in a photo (no boots).
Good luck to all teams this weekend as well as best wishes to all of Year 12 commencing their Trial HSC exams next week.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Waverley College Football would like to invite you to the end of season awards night. The night is held to acknowledge the best and fairest and the coaches award for each team in the Junior and Senior School, and celebrate the achievements of the 2022 season.
When: Friday, 12 August 2022, 5pm – 7:30pm
Location: Braidwood/Brother Lacey Gymnasium, Senior Campus
Address: 131 Birrell Street, Waverley
Cost: $20 per person (includes food and soft drink)
RSVP: >>> Click here to make your booking.
Mr Edward Davis
Convenor of Football
E: edavis@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Waverley College made the short trip to Rose Bay to take on the neighbouring Cranbrook School in Round 3 of the CAS Competition. The conditions were abysmal with plenty of rain in the week leading into the fixture, creating extremely sloppy conditions on the playing field.
Waverley kicked off and, on securing early possession, made their intentions clear to keep the ball in hand. Cranbrook defended well and managed to counter very effectively once they had their hands on the ball. This eventually led the home side scoring the first try of the match following some strong work by the Cranbrook Hooker near the ruck.
Waverley hit back soon after with some impressive running from Dane Towns who linked up nicely with Tino Jahnke-Tavana. Tino kicked the ball through and Solomon Tuqiri was first to get there, to score an entertaining try, which breathed some life into the match.
The kicking game from both sides was very important given the conditions. Caleb Sinclair-Harris and Dane Towns did great jobs getting Waverley out of trouble and putting the Double V into attacking positions. While both teams had their chances, the scores remained level for a majority of the first half.
In the dying minutes of the first half, Sinclair-Harris was able to put Dane Towns in space out wide. Towns drew in three defenders and at the same time found a charging Jonti Morshead-Feildel who raced away to score in the corner.
Down to the final play in the first half, Sinclair-Harris planted the ball deep in the Cranbrook half. A charge down from Waverley’s big No 8 Noah Tofaeono would see the ball land in the hands of Tuqiri who scored his second try under the sticks. At halftime, Waverley led 19 to 7.
The Waves started the half well with some strong work from Tom Martin, AJ Preketes, Ethan Halatokoua and Charlie Alexander who all tried to build momentum for the Double V. Ky Pule and Ben Finegan also had some excellent carries.
A clever dart from Tuqiri off the back of the ruck found some scattered Cranbrook defence. Tuqiri was able to offload to Cooper Stynes who threw a great pass to Noah Toefaono. Noah charged down the field to score a well-deserved try. Waverley now up 26-7 but with plenty of time remaining on the clock.
Waverley’s discipline started to let them down and soon they were reduced to 14 men. Cranbrook capitalised on this with a driving maul which resulted in a penalty try following an infringement for collapsing.
Handling errors were starting to increase in frequency. While holding a lead, this seemed to frustrate the Double V. The home crowd also did start to come into play and the momentum shifted to Cranbrook. The Cranbrook openside flanker capitalised on this momentum by going over to collect a try. Only 5 points now separated the two sides. The excitement of schoolboy rugby!
Cranbrook continued to build more and more pressure. More poor discipline hurt Waverley and gave Cranbrook an easy ride up field. Cranbrook shifted the ball to the left edge and a try was scored in the corner. The conversion from the sideline was missed. The scores were now level at 26-26.
Five minutes remained on the clock as Waverley kicked off. The Cranbrook flanker knocked the ball on and this gave Waverley a huge opportunity to edge back in front. Unfortunately, the handling errors continued and really hurt Waverley at the end. The full-time whistle was blown and the crowd went silent. 26-26 draw.
Congratulations to both sides for an entertaining fixture. All spectators from both schools were certainly on the edge of their seats for the entire match. The game did bring plenty excitement to a dull day – well done to all players involved.
As a result of the wet weather, a majority of the fixtures were cancelled for the day due to the ground conditions. We did have the 2nd XV match as the only other match to be played against Cranbrook. The 2nd XV just went down by a point in a very close encounter. As well as this match, we did have a number of the 14s and 13s teams who travelled to play Oakhill. We thank all the players and parents who made the long journey out to Castle Hill.
It was disappointing to receive reports regarding a number of players in the 14s age group failing to attend the fixtures at Oakhill without notice. Thank you to those players and parents who did reach out to notify the College that they were unwell (providing the required medical certificate). Rugby is a team sport and not only is it disappointing for the playing group when teams are left short, but it also negatively impacts the opposition team and spectators.
Please note that this weekend, Waverley College will play CAS Round 4 against Barker College. This will be a special occasion at Queens Park as it will be Indigenous Round. It would be great to have plenty of spectators to support this special event.
Our teams in the 14s and 15s will be playing away (Hornsby) while our 13s, 16s and Opens will be playing at Queens Park. Barker College do not match up with all our teams, so a number of teams will be playing a variety of schools. For those playing at Hornsby, please allow plenty of time to travel as the traffic can be extremely busy on Saturdays.
Next week will be the final week of training for the winter sport season. Players are all expected to attend the final sessions in the lead into our final match of the year against Trinity Grammar School.
As a note, our 14s and 15s age groups will be playing at Summer Hill, while our 13s, 16s and Opens will have their final match at Queens Park.
Following the winter season, we would certainly encourage and love to see all rugby players involved in the Track & Field team. Led by Mr Jeremy Roff, it is an exciting team in which to be involved, and there are certainly events for students of all shapes and sizes.
The Rugby Supporters’ Club are looking for any parents, carers and friends of students in the 13s, 16s and Opens age groups who would be able to assist on the canteen and BBQ over the final two Saturdays of the season. Any support, even for a period of one hour, would be very much appreciated.
>>> Click here to register your interest on the 2022 online roster.
Tickets are now on sale for the Rugby Presentation Night.
When: Friday, 19 August, 6pm
Where: Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club
Tickets: Adults $30, students $20 (includes entry and a meal. Drinks can be purchased from the bar).
Ticket purchase: >>> Click here to purchase tickets.
It will be a terrific opportunity for players and families to come together to celebrate the season. We look forward to seeing you there.
Good luck to all teams this weekend.
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
Mr John McCoy
Convenor of Rugby
E: jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au