30 May 2025
Yesterday, our 7/8 girls, 9/10 girls and 7/8 boys ventured to Jubilee Oval to play in the first round of the CHS Touch Football tournament.
The 7/8 girls managed to beat Kooringal and Mt Austin, before suffering a close loss to Temora. A convincing win against Mt Austin saw them come face to face with Kildare in the semi-finals. Kildare, a traditionally strong football school, managed to convincingly knock the team out of the comp.
Charlie Heffer’s ability to read the game and formulate strategies and Claire Doubleday’s communication and quick thinking both in attack and defence were a huge boon to the team. Eliza Rawle’s spatial awareness and break aways and Jasmine Lymer’s control of the middle were also of great benefit to Griffith.
“The girls should be proud of how they came together as a team,” explains coach Cailyn Loveday, “They should be proud of the amount the improved throughout the day.”
Our 9 /10 girls were on a hot streak, beating Temora, Hennessy, TRAC and Coolamon before once again being stopped in their tracks by Kildare in the semi-finals in an extremely close match.
Sophie Webb’s communication and leadership and Esther Sanson’s ability to capitalise on space to breakaway and score were key to the team’s success. Jessica Johnstone is also to be praised for her strong work in the middle, a position outside of her comfort zone.
“The girls are an experienced and formidable side who were ultimately defeated by their own mistakes,” recalls coach Cailyn Loveday, “They should be proud of their spirit and camaderie.”
Our 7/8 boys unfortunately didn’t fair quite as well. The team suffered a run of losses to Henessy, TRAC and Kooringal. They did, however, manage to end the day on a win for 5th place out of the 8 teams playing.
Lachlan Webb made 5 tries across the day and Bailey Broome showed great leadership and ability to control the game. Andrew Savage also ran hard and never gave up and Justin Draheim showed off his prodigious appetite by eating an awe inspiring 7 cheeseburgers at MacDonald’s on the way home.
“We may not have brought home any major wins,” concedes coach Simon Barnhill, “but we did bring the vibes on the day. The boys displayed great sportsmanship and should hold their heads high.”
