Sports Corner

All competitors, spectators, and staff had a wonderful day, as we undertook our 44th annual College Athletics Carnival on Friday, 27 July. House spirit was on show with a high number of participants representing in all events. The highlights of the carnival include the records broken by Evie Hill (Year 10) in both the long jump and the triple jump. The long jump record set in 1992 was broken by 10cm, while Evie also broke her own record set last year in the triple jump by a massive 88cm. The Casey relay team that broke the College record last year as a 13-year team, once again took to the track to represent Casey in the 14 years age group. They smashed the 14 years record set in 2000 by just over 2 seconds. 

The House Captains were in fine form and led their houses with passion and pride. Congratulations to all participants, but as in all things, there can be only one winner. Congratulations to McAuley House - back on top again!

Age champions

12 years	Tobias Heinke	Maia Bennett
13 years	Thomas Joyce	Grace Duede
14 years	Max Pinder	Hannah Burton
15 years	Rune Fowler	Evie Hill
16 years	Oscar Reed	Holly Tyler
17+ years	Louis White	Dayna Loy Monique Hill (joint)

Thank you to the key stakeholders who make the carnival possible. Tanya Slaviero works tirelessly to ensure all is organised and perfect on the day for the students, while, without the Maintenance team, Administration team, Trish Stocks, and staff who help set up, run events, time, measure, and judge as well as supervise students, the carnival would not happen.

Those students who placed first and second in each event have progressed to represent the College at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival on 2 September at the CEX Stadium. A Compass event will go out to those students early in Term 3. If students wish to withdraw from the event, please decline immediately so that a replacement can be organised.

Bill Turner Football

Our wonderful girls' team dominated their game against Coffs Harbour High School in the Round 4 match of the Bill Turner Trophy Tournament. Never looking in doubt, the girls took control right from the beginning, winning 6 - 0. Scorers were Summer Barden (3), Eva Corsalini (1), Evie Gibson (1) and Pippa Dodd (1). The girls now play Oxley High in a home game. Details to come.

Cochrane Cup 14 League

Our 14-year League team participated in the Mid North Coast Final of the Cochrane Cup competition in Port Macquarie on Tuesday, 24 June. The boys were outstanding in all their games, making it through to the finals. Whilst they lost their finals match against St Paul’s, Kempsey on the buzzer 18-16, their performance has qualified them to progress to the Northern State Finals on 25 July in Coffs. Congratulations, boys, and good luck at the State finals!

Staff v Student Volleyball

We witnessed an exciting showdown as each of our houses faced off against the teachers in our much-anticipated Students vs Teachers Volleyball competition held on Tuesday, 22 June during lunch! McAuley House kicked things off with great energy, followed by a strong performance from Kelly. Casey House brought serious heat, and Hargraves wrapped up the matches with some impressive plays. 

But the highlight? The All-Star match - the student team consisted of the top 3 student players from each house versus the best of the College staff. It was a thrilling, hard-fought game with plenty of action, laughter, and tenacity. It was an intense game, the teachers unleashed their competitive side and were determined to win. It was neck-and-neck the whole game, all coming down to the last ten seconds. Despite Harry the Hammer Harrison bringing the heat, it was no match for the students, with James Watson’s last second spike over the net, winning the game. 

In the end, these matches weren’t just about winning—they were about school spirit, teamwork, and having fun together. A big thank you to all players, supporters, and organisers who made it happen, especially Mrs McAra, our fellow House Captains and Vice Captains and we can’t forget the teachers who gave it their all. Whether you were diving for the ball or cheering from the sidelines, you were part of something special. Let’s keep that spirit alive all year long!

Holly Becker and Finn Benton
Casey House Captains

North v South Diocesan Championships

On Wednesday 25 June, the Diocesan North v South Championships were played at the Synthetics Fields in Coffs Harbour. SJPC had 3 teams representing in the 4 divisions, with each winning through as Southern Diocesan Champions earlier in the month. 

The junior girls' team took to the pitch first against Xavier Catholic College, Skinner's Head for what was expected to be a tight battle. It ended in a comfortable win 8 - 0. The senior girls also played Xavier, and while not as easily won, took control with a final score of 7 - 3. Our senior boys came up against St John’s College Woodlawn in their tussle but unfortunately could not get out of first gear with St John’s winning 5 - 1. The boys end up as Diocesan Runner-Up Champions, which is an excellent result and one of which they should be proud.

As both girls teams won their Diocesan Championship, they progressed to play the winners from the Armidale Diocese in back-to-back games. The junior girls played Holy Trinity from Inverell and won 8 - 2, while the senior girls defeated McCarthy College, Tamworth 6 - 0. Both girls have progressed in the CCC Tournament with further games to come next term.

AFLW Visit

On Friday 4 July, SJPC was fortunate to host several Sydney Swans AFLW team members who were in Coffs as part of a Community Camp program. The players had the opportunity to connect with women and girls in remote and regional communities, giving back to local schools and clubs while inspiring the next generation of AFLW stars. Our female AFL athletes were treated to an inspiring talk as well as an opportunity to meet and greet with the players. A chance to rub shoulders with current professional women athletes and be inspired to pursue their own sporting dreams was a wonderful experience to wrap up the term.

Congratulations

• Harper Dent (Year 10), who has been appointed to the NSW All Schools Hockey Officials team. This is a significant achievement and will require Harper to attend the NSW All Schools Hockey Tournament in Canberra from 2 August - 9 August. Good luck Harper!

• Congratulations to Ashton Herbert who represented NSWCCC at the NSW All Schools Golf Tournament last week in Dubbo. Ashton performed well in his first All Schools event and gained valuable experience. Well done Ashton!

• Harper Landrigan and Levi Newton represented the NSWCCC team at the U16’s All Schools championship in Sydney last weekend. Their team narrowly lost to ISA 15-14 then beat GPS 2 39-7 on Saturday. On Sunday, they played AICES for their final game and came away with a strong victory 45-17. Both the boys made their school proud with strong performance, and Levi even crossed the line for a couple of tries. Well done boys.

• Billy Backhouse (Year 8) travelled to Tasmania last Tuesday to play Water Polo at the National U13’s Development Carnival. He played in the Regional NSW State Team against teams from QLD, VIC, ACT, and NSW. This was a wonderful opportunity for him as a regional player. Well done Billy.

Leader of Sport Term 3 and 4

It is with mixed emotions that I sign off from my position as Leader of Sport and PDHPE teacher for the remainder of the year as I take long service leave. Carla Snow will more than capably fulfil the role in my absence, for which I am eternally grateful. Tanya Slaviero will continue in her role as assistant to the Leader of Sport and will continue to take the lead on all things to do with internal school sport and the sport selection process.

Carla Snow Leader of Sport - T3 & 4

Tanya Slaviero Assistant Leader of Sport

I wish our athletes and teams well for the remainder of the year and look forward to reading about their efforts and successes as they continue to participate in the many sporting opportunities available to them. I will be back on deck at the start of 2026.