17 May 2024
MRHS – Griffith fielded our best touch football players this week at the Touch Gala Days in Wagga.
Both our 7/8 girls and 7/8 boys played on Wednesday. Our 7/8 girls won their first two games against Wagga Wagga High School and the Riverina Anglican College. They then lost their last two games against Kildare College and Wagga Wagga High School and missed out on progressing to the semi-finals by a mere 3 goals.
Armanhi Cook was a ferocious leader both on and off the field, showing great ability and an understanding of the game beyond her years. Lomani Judd was also a force to be reckoned with on the wing, covering gaps and scoring half the total tries throughout the day.
“Overall, the girls played well together, especially considering it was their first game as a team,” explains team coach Cailyn Loveday, “There is a lot of potential there moving into the future.”
Our 7/8 boys had a challenging pool. The team faced a series of defeats against competition favourites Kildare, Hennessy, Kooringal, and Riverina Anglican Boys. Despite the losses, the team managed to retain its morale throughout the day.
Team captain Braxton Cook was a major asset, commanding the team admirably. Lucas Donovan and Lachlan Webb’s defence helped prevent an absolute bloodbath for Griffith.
“Our boys gave it their best shot,” concedes team coach Grant Kitchingman, “There were plenty of learning opportunities for the team. Hopefully, we can come back stronger next year.”
On the second day, our 9/10s took to the field. The 9/10 boys played four games throughout the day, first winning against Riverina Catholic College by an impressive 8 - 3. They were then brought back down to Earth after a 7 - nil defeat to Kildare Catholic College, followed by an 8 - 2 loss to Kooringal Catholic College. They beat Junee High School 4 - 1 in their final match of the day, but unfortunately, they did not qualify for the finals.
Tim Davies was strong on the wing and managed some great defensive taps and a couple of tries. Eric Hoey played in the middle and was relentless on the attack. Notably, Lane Stewart also scored his first try in touch football. Player Christopher Williment, however, was at pains to insist that he had set this up.
Meanwhile, the 9/10 girls had a gruelling day of football, playing a total of eight matches throughout the day. The girls were undefeated through their pool rounds before breezing through the semis against Hennessy Catholic College 7 – nil.
The team met their match in the finals against Kildare Catholic College, suffering a narrow 5 – 3 defeat. The girls had notably defeated Kildare earlier in the day but had, unfortunately, suffered a few injuries, leading to a depleted bench.
The Cook sisters Jayda and Havana were standouts on the team. Havana scored plenty of tries and played a hard defence. Jayda, on the other hand, was very much in control of the game and communicated well with her teammates. Sophie Webb also managed to chalk up a number of points for the Griffith team throughout the day.
Well done to all our players for representing the school throughout the week. Thank you to our staff for making this opportunity possible. Special thanks to our volunteer referee, Marley Riley, for her hard work.
