Viewpoint

Now, the coaches had talked a big game early in the season, with great plans and intentions to show the boys how it’s done. Until best laid plans hit a hurdle, with all three coaches realising that age brings bad knees, sore backs, tight muscles, distractions and every other excuse in the book. So it was that the team found itself in a bit of trouble.

Thankfully, our parents came to the rescue and laced up their shoes to compete against the boys. Well done to everyone who raced on Saturday. As always, it was a lot of fun, and we were able to finish the day with plenty of smiles. I still feel terrible for letting the team down, and hopefully next season we, the coaches, will be back and make it to the start line this time.

Those who read this column will know that, instead of physical punishments, we focus on ensuring the balance of our student athletes here at Cross Country. I am all for ensuring I don't ask anything of the boys that I wouldn’t do myself. So, in honour of my failure to race last Saturday, I have dedicated the poem below to my hero.

My Hero
What was to happen when the Coach called in crook,
Who will anchor this race, the team all wore a worried look,
Who'd save the day? Who'd take the pain?
Who'd run another lap again?

Then Seamus smiled as he laced his shoes up tight,
"Two legs? No worries. I'll be right."

With Harry, Heart of a Wolf firmly in sight,
Seamus strode strong, ready for the fight.
No contracts signed, no medals won,
Just one dad saying, "This should be fun."

Foo Fighters sang of heroes true,
But Dave Grohl clearly never knew,
The greatest hero, pound for pound,
Is the cross country dad who'll run an extra round.

So here's to Seamus, legend indeed,
Answering the team's desperate need.
When coaches break and plans go awry,
There goes my hero... still wondering why he agreed to run twice!

It was fantastic to have the boys back and racing. A big congratulations to our Opens A team of Charlie Culbert , Lachlan Maiers , Xavier O’Hea , and Thomas Poynton , who finished fourth in a hotly contested Opens race.

A highlight of the day was seeing Sachin Agnew and his dad, Tom, race each other in the third leg of our Junior and Parents team. Sachin had an 80-metre lead at the changeover and raced hard to keep dad at bay. Opportunities like this, where parents and sons can race together at school, create lifelong memories and remind us that school can be fun.

We have three races left in our season, as well as one long-run challenge still to complete. It’s all coming to a close far too quickly, but I look forward to making the most of the time we have left.

From those selection trials, nine Opens players and five U16 age players were selected in NSW representative squads, more Riverview players than anyone can recall in recent history. Players selected as follows:

NSW I
Isaac Perkins (Captain)
Hunter Reich (Players’ Player Award)
Jack Plamondon
Taj Scarr
Ned Attrill

NSW II
Archie Hartman
Hugh Gacitua (Best team person award)
Sam Bull

NSW JUNIORS
James Hannaford

NSW U16 Squad
Seb Conna
Billy Bowen
Andy Larkin
Henry Perkins
Tom Davis

JOEYS GAME DAY

A cracking day last weekend saw Riverview teams contest 36 matches against Joeys, whilst our Regis teams had a very successful day against teams from Waverley College and St Augustine’s, including wins to the 12As and 11As versus Waverley.

It started well with the 13Fs and 15Cs both getting victories in the early 8am games and for both the U13s and U15s age groups, the day continued that way with multiple wins in both age groups.

Throughout the day, Riverview teams won 25 per cent of matches played against Joeys and, importantly, two of the last three games of the day, with the 2nd XV coming ever so close to a GPS clean sweep of Joeys in the Opens. Whilst one victory in every four matches does not sound like a statistic to get excited about, it is higher than history would have it and marks the dawn of a change in the order of things for the Riverview rugby program.

That change needs to include greater consistency in our approach to rugby across the various age groups and within age groups specifically. A focus is to adopt a clear style of play across all teams and, as I have stated before, the 1st XV is the blueprint for the style of rugby that suits our Riverview rugby athletes. It is also an approach to skills progression, decision-making, tactical play and game awareness that has seen a significant number of players selected and excel in representative teams this season.

The reality, however, is that whilst some statistics moved in a positive direction last Saturday, the holiday break was not great for other teams and we did suffer some blowouts that indicate a different attitude might be needed this weekend in some teams. A week is a long time in any sport and we are looking for every team to give a better account of themselves than last time we played Scots.

This is the last home game for our Year 12, so the Class of 2026 needs to go out with a bang tomorrow, and all teams can play a strong supporting role in making this a fitting finale for our seniors.

We thank the thousands of old boys, parents, supporters, players and teachers who were so positive and vocal with your support of the players last week and hope you can all get behind Riverview once again tomorrow, as our senior boys look to add another significant chapter to their legacy and the rugby story.

TOP PERFORMERS

13s age group: whilst the 13As could not get the result , the 13B, 13C, 13D and 13E sides showed the depth we have in our junior players, winning four of the five games in the age group.

15s teams: the 15C and 15E sides both recorded strong wins, changing the trajectory for the age group moving forward. The 15s continue to improve as an age group as the season progresses.

1st XV RUGBY
Anthony Calavassy, 1st XV coach

Riverview defeated Joeys 64-17

The Battle of the River returned to Riverview on Saturday as the 1st XV hosted local rivals St Joseph's College in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the GPS season.

Leading into the round, Joeys remained the only side to have defeated us in the GPS competition. While the desire to make amends was certainly present, the focus throughout the week had been on embracing the occasion, trusting our preparation, and executing our roles in front of what was expected to be a large and passionate crowd.

Before a ball had even been kicked, First Field was dressed to impress. A sincere thank you must go to the College's Property Services team for the tremendous effort put into preparing the venue for such a special occasion.

From the opening whistle, the Riverview boys played with purpose, intensity and composure. Every player who took the field contributed to a performance that showcased the team's growth throughout the season. The forwards laid a dominant platform through their physicality and outstanding set piece, while the backs capitalised on opportunities with confidence and precision.

As we raced to a 33–12 halftime lead, perhaps most pleasing was the team's ability to remain focused on the task at hand with no sense of complacency. The boys continued to build pressure, execute their game plan and play for one another, producing some outstanding passages of rugby throughout the second half.

The final score of 64–17 reflected a complete team performance and a group determined to embrace the challenge rather than be overwhelmed by the occasion.

While the victory itself was significant, the result also etched this team into the history books.

Saturday's score was the highest recorded by a Riverview side against Joeys in the 119-year history of the fixture and the largest winning margin achieved by Riverview in all those years.

History has been created.

Beyond the records and statistics, what stood out most was the manner in which the team approached the day. The boys represented the College with great pride, demonstrating the values that have underpinned our season.

The challenge now is to remain grounded, continue to improve and carry this momentum into the final rounds of the competition. Saturday was a memorable chapter in the story of this team, but there is still more to be written.