President's Rap
Monday, 30 August, 2010 |
Well, I'm sure our grand final winning teams are still celebrating after the
clean sweep "victory". While the rugby season is over, we still have the ISA
dinner and the junior presentation to attend to before we can officially close
the Redfield rugby season for 2010.
The ISA dinner will be held on Friday, 10 September and, as usual, will be a
fantastic evening. If you haven't already done so, please reserve your spot at
the dinner and join the club in celebrating a very successful 2010 rugby season.
Also, we should not forget our junior presentation day which will be held on 12
September at Redfield. Please come along and enjoy the day. There will be a BBQ
and jumping castle and, of course, the presentation ceremony itself for our very
talented juniors. I hope I see you all there.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the winner of the
Redfield Rugby Club "war cry" competition. The war cry will now be adopted by the
Club as its official rugby anthem for all age groups. There were many excellent
entries but ultimately there could only be one winner. Congratulations to Glen
Dawson (our sports headmaster), for the winning entry. We finally now have our
official war cry! Please familiarise yourself with it for the 2011 season
[See it here]. Again, thank you to all
entrants.
I look forward to seeing you soon and I am certainly looking forward to the 2011
season.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 23 August, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
It was a "white wash"!!!
That's right ... we had 4 teams in the Grand Finals on Saturday, and all 4 teams
came home with the bacon! It was a wonderful performance by all the boys but no
one will disagree with me when I say that the u16s match was truly an amazing game
to watch. Redfield essentially won the game on the bell by converting a penalty
from near the sideline ... YES, not in front but from the sideline! The whole
crowd was wishing and willing that kick to get over the cross bar and it just
scraped over ... my words in this report simply do not do the moment justice but
I know that all the Redfield spectators who were present know exactly what I mean.
Anthony Manassa ... Redfield Rugby wants your right boot in a display cabinet for
all to see! Keep that boot of yours in a safe place.
I extend HUGE congratulations to our u13s, u15s and u16s 2010 ISA champions!
| GRAND FINAL ACTION |
u13s
|
u15s
|
u16s
|
And I ALSO add congratulations to the Redfield Old Boys who won a torrid Grand
Final against a very determined Liverpool outfit. Final score ... 24-22, again,
on the bell!
Speaking about champion teams, you may recall that Jack Donkin was selected in the
CIS rep team. Well, the CIS Team won the State Title for the 11th time with a 13
to 12 thriller against Sydney East in Wagga last week. The CIS squad got 8 boys
into the State Team and speaking with the CIS team's manager, Jack was very very
close to being selected in that State Team! Congratulations Jack Donkin!
On other matters, the 3 Rugby "War Cry" finalists were all performed at assembly
on Friday with the winner being selected this week. Finally we will have the
Redfield War Cry ready for 2011.
Also, a reminder that Eastwood Junior Rugby club is looking for coaches and
managers for next year's Representative season. If anyone is interested, please
let me know. I think our club gains a lot every year as a result of our boys
playing Rep footy, so this is well worth a look.
Apart from our Rugby presentation for the Juniors and the ISA dinner ... that brings
our Redfield Rugby season to a close. Naturally, the club never stops working and
will shortly start planning for season 2011 with our AGM to be held in October.
There will be more details about the AGM closer to the event. Can I take this
opportunity to thank all the coaches and managers who put in so much effort in
preparing our champion teams, the Rugby Committee who's work never stops, the
parents who constantly support the club and the boys, and last but certainly not,
least, Mr Andrew Mullins and the school.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Letter to Grand Finalists
Friday, 19 August, 2010 |
Dear Players,
I would like to congratulate you all on another fantastic season of Rugby and
for making the Grand Final. That, in itself, is an outstanding achievement and
an one which the whole Redfield Rugby community and the school are immensely
proud of.
Many outstanding players have represented Redfield as juniors and seniors over
the years and all of you fall into that category. I have watched many Redfield
games this season, from juniors to seniors, and it makes me very proud to watch
you run on in Redfield colours and watch you, week-in and week-out, and play
Rugby the Redfield way ... with passion and commitment and, above all, as a team!
Many teachers and parents help get our Redfield boys on the park every week and
without them none of this would be possible. So remember this weekend to take
some time and thank those people and supporters after the game, whether we win,
lose or draw ... and don't forget your mum and dad!
The last thing I really want to say is this ... wearing the Redfield jersey
carries responsibility and great tradition. Your only responsibility this weekend
is to wear that Jersey with pride.
I wish you the greatest of luck today—but above all, remember to be humble
in triumph, gracious in defeat and play hard!
Best Wishes,
Maurice Baroni,
President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 16 August, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
The Rugby season is fast approaching its climax for season 2010. This Saturday we have
three teams playing in Grand Finals ... the u13s, u15s and u16s. All three teams had
very convincing wins in their semi-finals last weekend and deserve to be favourites to
take out the title. I have no doubt next weekend we will have tough opponents but the
silverware will be coming home to the Lion's Den!
Last week I announced that our u10s made the semi finals but in fact, it was our u11s
who were to playoff for the Sydney Juniors Plate Event. My apologies for the confusion.
In any event, the 11s had a great win over Dural. I watched the match and the boys
toughed it out and came away with a good solid win. Well done boys!
Our u12s played a very hard semi against Wests who would fit quite nicely into our u16
squad given their size—these boys were BIG! In true Redfield spirit, our boys
played their hearts out and gave as good as they got. We should all be very proud of
what can only be described as a gutsy, never-say-die performance. The boys went down
19-5 but the score line doesn't reflect how tight the game actually was. It was only
in the last 7 mins that the big West's boys got over the top. It was an inspiring effort.
Congratulations for playing with such heart!
The u9s had their Gala day over the weekend and it was a bit of a mixed result for them
but it seems there were a swag of tries being scored. Looks like the minis are truly
playing the "running game"!
Lastly, to all the teams whose season has ended, you should all hold your head high.
In all the games that I have watched this year, our boys have played rugby with true
Redfield spirit and with commitment. Congratulations to you all and best of luck to
our finalists.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 9 August, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
This weekend saw the sun shine again and it was perfect Rugby weather ... the Lion's\
den was open for business! Our ISA boys matched up against All Saints and it was another
"whitewash"—that's two weeks in a row—great effort boys. Our U14s played a
trial against Knox Grammar and unfortunately had a very hard day at the office going
down 41 to 5—tough game.
Our Juniors all had some good results with the 12s going on a rampage by the look of
the score. I understand that most of the tries were scored out wide making the conversion
attempts a tough ask for goal-kicker Dolly. The score would have been closer to 90 had
the boys got that ball a little bit closer to the posts!!
The weekend round of rugby also means that next week is semi-final time. We have our 10s,
12s, 13s, 15s and 16s all playing in the semis. Congratulations boys! Our 1st XV just
missed out on a semis birth but finished the season very strong.
The BBQ was firing again at Redfield on the weekend so once again I would like to thank
all the parents who helped out on various duties. Thank you again!
Don't forget Eastwood Junior Rugby club is looking for coaches and managers for next
year's Representative season. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I think our
club gains a lot every year as a result of our boys playing Rep footy, so this is well
worth a look.
Lastly, I would like to wish all our boys participating in the semis next week the very
best of luck and remember to play rugby as only Redfield can ... Go The Mighty Lions!!!
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 2 August, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
This weekend saw the rain play havoc with the round. Our Seniors and Juniors were both
affected. The Lion's Den was closed as a badelynge of ducks descended on the field and
called it home for the weekend! Fortunately, however, we were able to secure another
field for the ISA teams. Our friends at Galston High came to the rescues ... thanks so
much for Galston High's help and support. Not to mention our trusty Sports Headmaster,
Mr Dawson, for making it all happen. Too bad for our juniors however as Sydney Juniors
called the whole round off due to the large number of field closures.
Well, from a "washout" to a "whitewash" ... that's how best to
describe the Redfield performance against St Paul's on the weekend. Just have a look
at the scores below! Not much more I can say really apart from noting the u14s had a
tough time but triumphed in the end! I must say, this was a great game to watch. Well
done to all the boys for a dominating weekend of rugby. I can say that St Paul's headmaster
was very impressed by the standard of rugby on display!
Notwithstanding the mad rush to reorganise the games, we still managed to fire up the BBQ,
feed the masses and raise some funds for the club. However, ironically, whilst the BBQ
was all set to go ... no one had a lighter! Yes true story! Um, well thanks to Adam Cox
for rubbing two sticks together - life saver. I should also thank all the parents who
helped out over the weekend, especially those on cooking duties. Thank you again! Our
ISA boys are at home again next weekend so the BBQ will again be firing up, so come along
and give the club a hand!
On other matters, the Rugby "War Cry" finalists (3) will have each of their
entries performed at the next school assembly with the winner to be announced in time
for the finals. Stay tuned!
Also, Eastwood Junior Rugby club is looking for coaches and managers for next year's
Representative season. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I think our club
gains a lot every year as a result of our boys playing Rep footy, so well worth a look.
Lastly, I wanted to share with you all an email the Club received on 24 July after our
u16s played Shore School. The email below says it all really. The only thing I wish to
add is to congratulate the entire u16s team, coaches and managers!
From: Mr R. Cockerill (parent of SHORE boy in the U16 B team)
To: Headmaster/Sportsmaster, Redfield College
Today we witnessed a wonderful game of rugby at Northbridge grounds played in a wonderful
spirit between your under 16As and SHORE's Under 16Bs.
Apart from a fantastic game your boys, and in particular your captain, displayed a
quality of sportsmanship that you should be extremely proud of and should be seen more
often and at all types and levels of sport.
Congratulations boys ... well done.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 28 June, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
The school holidays seemed to go on and on this time. The juniors were back in action last week
but this weekend saw all our Redfield Lions back in full swing. Again some pretty good results
for both our seniors and juniors, but a couple of disappointing ones as well ... but, I guess
that's rugby!
Our ISA boys were off to Bathurst to play Scots. In anticipation of some pretty cold and gloomy
weather, the boys were all rugged up but to everyone's surprise, the weather was sunny and
excellent for a game of rugby. The 1st XV were on fire with a 55 to 17 hammering of Scots ... well
done boys! The U13s gave them a good old lesson as well!! Generally, pretty good results with a
disappointment or two. Every game will be important now given the finals are not too far away.
The Juniors had another mixed bag of results this weekend. The 12s had a good 36-10 win over Blue
Mountains which made up for last weeks loss to Wests. The 11s unfortunately not so good, so I
think the boys won't enjoy training this week!! Congratulations to the 9s for a huge win against
Dural. Win, lose or draw, lets keep our heads high and keep that Redfield Rugby spirit alive!
On other matters, the Rugby "War Cry" the 3 finalists will have each of their entries performed
at the next school assembly with a winner to be announced in time for the finals. Stay tuned!
This coming weekend is the Redfield College day with all teams playing at home in the Lion's Den
... so watch out! I would urge you all to come along and cheer the boys on. There will be a BBQ
running all day so drop in and support the Redfield Lions.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 28 June, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
Thank goodness the holidays are here! We can all have a bit of break ... well maybe!
Anyway, another good Redfield weekend of Rugby! Last week our senior boys took on
Oakhill College. Many of you would have memories from last year's encounter ... well
don't worry! Our boys won in all age group with the exception of our 14s. Fantastic
effort to come away with a great wins against a very very good Rugby school. Well
done boys, a wonderful effort.
Our junior boys also had some good wins over the weekend, especially the U12s with a
(wait for it), 88 to 5 win over Dundas! Considering 12s play 25 minute halves, that's
a lot of points to put on the score board in 50 minutes. Well done boys, fantastic
effort. I assume the boys must have been napping when the 5 points was scored against them!?
On the Eastwood representative front, our Redfield rep players were paraded in front of the
ABC TV cameras on Saturday in the 1st Grade Eastwood v Southern Districts game. At half time,
the boys were lucky enough to do a "march past" in front of a very appreciative crowd at the
T.G. Millner ground at Eastwood. Well done boys and a fantastic way to end the rep season.
As noted in my last report, don't forget that the 3 finalists will be performed at the first
school assembly after the holidays.
Also, a quick reminder to have a look at the Redfield Rugby web site at www.redfieldrugby.com.
Don't miss it week to week and check out all our match reports!
Warm regards and hope all the boys have a safe and restful break—but remember, keep a
rugby ball in your hands at all time!
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 21 June, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
Firstly, I write with the very sad news that a year 11 student from St Andrew's
Cathedral School passed away this morning. He was a XV player for the school and
it appears that he was involved in a very heavy tackle in a match on the weekend
playing for the school against St Gregory's College. His name was Kundayi Chiundiza.
On behalf of our School and the Redfield Rugby club, I extend our most deepest
condolences to his family. I ask that you all keep Kundayi, his family and his
friends in your prayers in this very difficult time.
While there were club matches over the long weekend, the State Championships were
played all over Sydney. You will recall that a number of our boys made Eastwood
representative teams in various age groups. Well, those boys had a very busy and
hard long weekend with two age groups (and a total of 10 Redfield boys), the U11s
and U12s, making the semi-finals ... and were unlucky not to have made the final!
Our Redfield boys are making a name for themselves and the school. Congratulations
boys, well done!!
You would also recall that three Redfield primary boys were chosen to represent
Redfield at the CIS (Combined Independent Schools) rugby trials. Those boys were
Jack Donkin, Nick Dolly and Luca Baroni. The trials extend over two days and over
100 boys trialled. Congratulations to Jack Donkin for being selected in the
NSWCIS squad. We are very proud of you Jack ... a fantastic effort! Also a big
well done to Nick Dolly and Luca Baroni who will play in a Barbarians team against
the NSWCIS squad. Fantastic effort boys! Our school has a very limited pool of kids
to draw from and time and time again we are in the thick of it more than competing
with the "Big" schools. I should also extend congratulations to Michael Abrams (u16s)
and Josh Dransfield (Opens) who represented ISA when competing in the NSW Schoolboy
selection trials on the weekend. Again, small school but big achievements!
This weekend the "lion's den" was host to the mini's gala day (u6s to u9s).
It was another big weekend with over 700 people attending Redfield throughout the
course of the day. It was, again, another successful day and a great example of
Redfield spirit in hosting this event and co-ordinating the 25+ teams which
participated in the gala day. During the course of the day many (non-Redfield) parents
complimented the school facilities and the organisation. Naturally, these events can't
take place without the tireless help of many parents and teachers. A special thank you
to Paul Boddy, Karen Yee and Gerard Abrams. I know there are many others. I thank you
all for all you efforts.
As noted in my last report, all entries have closed for Redfield Lions Rugby "war
cry" competition. I can report that 3 have been selected on a short list and
those 3 will be "performed" at the next school assembly so we can get a bit
of a "feel" for them, so stay tuned ... not long now.
Warm regards,
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 7 June, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
The "Lion's Den"was closed for business due to the extraordinary amount of rain
we've had over the last few days. Our boys had a well-earned rest in both the junior and
senior grades. There will be no rugby this coming long weekend either due to the State
Championships being held, so another rest for our boys. I did mention last week that we
have a number of Redfield boys representing Eastwood, so they will be playing in the
various representative age groups. I wish you the best of luck and lets hope our Redfield
boys can help to bring a State Cup home for Eastwood!
On other Redfield rugby matters, three primary boys were chosen to represent Redfield at
the CIS (Combined Independent Schools) rugby trials. Those boys were Jack Donkin, Nick Dolly
and Luca Baroni. The trials extend over two days and over 100 boys participate. All our boys
were selected this morning to go through to the second trial. From the second trial, the CIS
team will be nominated with the remaining boys being asked to form a Barbarians team to play
the NSW CIS squad. Once again, congratulations and best of luck for the rest of the trials.
Also, a quick reminder to have a look at the Redfield Rugby web site at www.redfieldrugby.com.
Don't miss it week to week!
Lastly, all entries have now been received for the Redfield Lions Rugby "war cry" competition.
We will be selecting the winner this week and an announcement will be made in the Red next week.
Good luck to all those that entered and thank you so much for you effort.
Warm regards,
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 31 May, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
This weekend saw our Redfield boys get out the raincoats and Wellingtons!! Wet weather
Rugby at its best. The "Lion's Den" was home once again to all ISA teams,
hosting Oxley, while some of the juniors played away. Once again, some good results.
Congratulations to our First XV for a tough win over Oxley. It's the first for the season
and I'm sure the start of many more to come. All our other ISA boys registered solid wins
and in particular the U15s who thumped the visitors. In 4 rounds of ISA rugby, the 15s
have yet to concede a point!
Our juniors had another tough day in the office by the looks of things, going down in most
ages unfortunately. The U12s held the fort with a tough win over Ryde. I should also note
that our 11s have been having some very tough matches so far this season. Last week at the
Redfield College Day, the boys got their first win convincingly. Well done boys!
Last week you would recall I mentioned the Rugby "War Cry" competition. Entries
have now closed and we will be selecting the winning entry later this week with the winner
being announced next week. Selecting the winning entry is not going to be easy given the
number and quality of entries received. Thank you to all those that submitted entries and
I wish you all the very best of luck.
By now I'm sure you have had a good look around at the new Redfield Rugby web site. Please
keep visiting us (at www.redfieldrugby.com). It's the best way to keep up with what's
happening in Redfield Rugby World! Thanks once again to Steve Parsons for his on-going
commitment to the site and to Redfield Rugby.
I wanted to also mention that this weekend was the Eastwood Representative Team's trip to
Shoalhaven. Redfield has 21 boys selected in the Eastwood Representative squads from u10s
to u15s. Our rep boys played for Redfield on Saturday morning and then a mad dash to catch
a bus at 1:00pm for representative duties in Nowra with 2 full games on Sunday. I'm told
it was a very successful weekend for Eastwood teams. It's fantastic to see Redfield produce
such outstanding players year after year.
Lastly, Redfield Rugby once again would like to thank all those parents who helped out with
various tasks over the week. Another successful weekend for the club.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
President's Rap
Monday, 24 May, 2010 |
Dear Parents,
The Redfield Rugby season is well and truly under way and we have been once again achieved
some solid results in both the Senior and Junior ranks. Our ISA boys have been performing
quiet well and have recorded some good wins.
Last weekend was our "College" day where we had all our Redfield teams playing in
the "Lion's Den"! Our Junior boys recorded impressive victories and we nearly had
a clean sweep with all but our 1XV recording victories in the den! While our
1XV suffered a loss, I must say it was tough game and our boys didn't give up.
The score line certainly did not reflect the intensity of the game. Well done to all our
teams for a great effort on the weekend. I would also like to thank all the parents who
helped with various duties and tasks throughout the course of the day. Without your help,
these days would simply not work, so thank you once again.
On other matters, the Rugby "War Cry" competition is well and truly under way with
entries pouring in. Don't forget, entries close Friday 28 May and all entries should be sent
to Glenn Dawson. You have to be in it to win it! ... so get those entries in!
(More details here)
I would also like to advise parents that the club has only recently launched this new website.
Please take the time to have a good look around to see just how good it is! It contains all
our match reports, various items of interest, team draws, ISA league tables, photos and much
more. Add this site to your "favourites"! I would like to extend a big thank you to Steve
Parsons for all his effort in helping the Club get this site up and running. Great work Steve.
Lastly, it's always worth noting the enviable reputation that Redfield Rugby parents have in
the broader Rugby community with respect to general sideline behaviour, barracking and
supporting our Redfield boys while they're out on the paddock. This a reputation that the
Rugby club has worked very hard over the years to achieve and it's certainly a reputation
which we want to maintain and (as noted above), "be the envy of others." I
raise this because of the following email Redfield Rugby received in relation to our under 15
and 16 boys:
Good morning,
I would like to pass on to Redfield's Rugby club that you are great competitors and you
play the game in the sprint it is intended. I am a Chevalier dad and I help with the 15 and
16 boys who play. Your boys are well mannered and well drilled. Your coaching staff is
professional and friendly and they are a pleasure to speak to. I would like to wish you
all the best for the season ahead and let your players know that they are a good example of
how teams should play and be turned out and you guys are the example from which a few other
teams could learn from.
Peter Robinson - Chevalier
This reputation is one Redfield wants to maintain and rugby parents are an integral part
of achieving this. I thank you for your ongoing commitment to this much-cherished Redfield
value.
Maurice Baroni, President
|
|
