Div 2 Herald Sun Shield Champions

Last Friday, I had the amazing opportunity to represent our College alongside a team of Year 9/10 girls from all four Padua Campuses in the Herald Sun Shield Grand Finals. We took a bus up to Ikon Park, for first bounce at 4:30pm vs Our Lady of Sion College. Sion led the first two quarters, however our efficient clearances in the midfield and a star full-forward called Asha, who put through four goals, helped us to come back for a 34-14 win. Scarlett was awarded a well-deserved Best on Ground after having a huge impact on the midfield and scoring Padua’s first goal. It was such a fun night, and I am so proud of all the girls in the team!

Georgia Goss, Year 10 Francis

Michael Wilson/AFL Photos

Padua Junior Boys Blue FootballTeam Victory

Padua Blue 13.12.90 Defeats St Francis Xavier Officer 2.6.18

Goals: Zac H 4, Max R 3, Riley F 2, Balin F 1, Hamish B 1, Hayden L 1, Chester H 1

Best: Zac H, Patty H, Riley F, Chester H, Hayden L

Our Mornington Year 8 Blue Football Boys team were successful in winning the Southern Independent School (SIS) competition this season after impressively progressing through the carnival undefeated. Playing at home in wet and greasy conditions last Thursday 31 August the boys finished off the season with a convincing 12 goal win over St Francis Xavier Officer. With a focus on ‘attitude and effort,’ the boys again teamed together beautifully to control the game from the outset. The strength of the side all carnival has been the even contribution of all our players on gameday, and this was evident again with another polished performance against the boys from Officer.

The depth of talent in our group also proved crucial as we were able to play 32 boys over the course of the Ccarnival with the boys in our Gold team continually putting their hands up for a spot in the Blues line-up. The boys from both teams also enthusiastically turned up in big numbers at training each week and this again enabled us to be fully prepared for the challenges that we faced on game day. Congratulations to Zac H for being awarded the ‘Player of the Carnival’ for an outstanding run of games and to Tom D for doing such a great job goal umpiring each week. Tom was deservedly presented with the match ball after the game. We also had an amazing leadership group in Hayden L, Patty H, Max R and Chester H who were pivotal in the success that we enjoyed as a team. A big thank you to Emilio Di Paolo, Holly Debnam, Peter Van Wees and Terry Luppino for the support that you provided to the group over the course of the carnival. It was fantastic to be a part of such a talented team and see the effort that the boys brought to games each week.

Andrew Brady
Coach

2023 SIS Teams

Padua Equestrian Team

Wow! What a fabulous year it has been for the Padua Equestrian Team. The Petstock Interschool Show Jumping series is done and dusted and, thanks to some incredible performances by our team members, Padua finished in sixth place out of a total of 57 schools and over 100 horses and riders! We have punched well above our weight, which is in no small part due to the talents of Hannah Lionnet (Year 12 Mercy) and Grace Hamilton (Year 7 Kolbe).

Hannah won the championship series and champion of the most recent round (1 September 2023) in the "Improvers" division on her amazing 22-year-old stock horse mare, Maple, beating other more expensive, “better bred” horses. She also rode her other horse Peanut (Elephant Rock was his racing name) in the “Progressive” division.

As this is Hannah’s last year at Padua, it was also her last time competing for the College Equestrian Team, and therefore I wish to thank her wholeheartedly for representing the College over the past six years, for her dedication to the sport and contributing to raising the profile of the discipline of horse riding in the school. We all wish her well in her equestrian pursuits in the future.

Grace Hamilton has also done exceptionally well this year, coming fourth in the Encourage Division at the same competition on 1 September, which confirmed her final series placing as fifth place overall. A super effort! Grace has also been a consistent and dedicated member of the College Equestrian Team this year and should be congratulated for all her efforts. Horse riding requires much more work than being an athlete in other sports, as you have to train your horse as well as yourself.

Other team members that have contributed to Padua’s overall series placing this year are Piper Peers (Year 11 Francis), Isabel Dixon (Year 11 John XXIII), Alliana Nicholson (Year 9 Cardijn), Seth Staley (Year 10 Francis), Jasmine Lazaar (Year 10 John XXIII) and Issac Staley (Year 7 Geoghegan).

I hope you all continue to compete for the school in 2024.

Ms Gina Thompson

Equestrian Team Manager