Talented hooker Mitchell Black from St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead was selected in the Australian Schoolboys Rugby League Team for 2019, while Tyla Brown from St Joseph’s High School, Aberdeen shone in touch football and was named in the Australian 15 years girls’ side.

More than 100 talented secondary students from the Diocese were selected in a NSW Combined Catholic Colleges team this year, and they represented with pride and ability.

Further representative honours included an outstanding nine students named on the 2019 NSW All Schools Honour Roll. They are Kalani Bates for AFL (St Catherine’s, Singleton), Michael Walker for basketball (St Pius X, Adamstown), Blake Archbold for football (All Saints’ College, Maitland), Pyper Hollis for golf (St Clare’s, Taree), Grace Wrixon for softball (St Mary’s, Gateshead), Charlie Hawke for swimming (St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton), Billy Moody also for swimming (St Catherine’s, Singleton), Tyla Brown for touch (St Joseph’s, Aberdeen) and Marnie Fullerton also for touch (All Saints’ College, Maitland).

Impressive swimmer Charlie Hawke was also acknowledged for his leadership skills when he was named for the prestigious role of vice-captain in the 2019 NSW Schools Sports Association Swimming team at the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships in Melbourne.

Leroy Reid from St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton and Liam Fairweather from All Saints’ College, Maitland represented NSW at the 2019 Australian All Schools Track and Field Championships. Both performed amazingly well for NSW with Leroy winning silver in the U18 200m and in the medley relay. These boys are ones to watch in the future.

Rugby league has always been a strength in our region and the Diocese now has another talented student named on the Australian Representative Honour Roll. Mitchell Black from St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead, had an outstanding year that resulted in his selection in the Under-18s NSW Origin Team chosen from the SG Ball NRL competition. He played a pivotal role for NSW against Queensland Under-18s Origin team in the curtain-raiser for State of Origin 1 in Brisbane. Mitch also captained NSW Combined Catholic Colleges at the Australian Championships where his talent and dedication was further rewarded with selection in the Australian Schoolboys Team for 2019.

Tyla Brown from St Joseph’s, Aberdeen is another outstanding young athlete who performed exceptionally in touch football. Tyla played an instrumental part in the diocesan team at the NSWCCC Championships hosted by Maitland-Newcastle at Nelson Bay.  Selectors recognised her talent and she was named in the NSWCCC side to represent at NSW All Schools where again her display of skill in such a competitive environment resulted in her being named in the Australian 15 years side.

Five of the most talented students from the Diocese were named to receive a prestigious NSW Blue award. These awards celebrate and recognise the best sporting achievements of Catholic Secondary students throughout NSW. They are: Pyper Hollis from St Clare’s, Taree, for golf; Mitchell Black from St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead, for rugby league; Charlie Hawke from St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton, for swimming; and two students will receive a Bar, which is awarded to students previously awarded a Blue who have continued to excel in their sport. Leroy Reid from St Francis Xavier’s College will receive a Bar for athletics and Michael Walker from St Pius will receive a Bar for basketball. These great performers will attend a ceremony at Wollongong at the start of the 2020 school year.

The talent in our primary schools was highly evident again this year with more than 100 students being selected in a NSW Polding team.

In fact, almost every pathway sport had a Maitland-Newcastle representative in a Polding team. These students successfully represented their school, region, diocese and then the NSW Catholic Polding team at a NSW PSSA sporting event, for which they were presented with a medal.

Some of these students continued to excel in their chosen sport and were rewarded with a place in the NSW PSSA team to attend School Sport Australia. These exceptionally talented athletes are the best in NSW for their age group:

Samuel Govender      Warners Bay              Athletics

Zachary Yurisich        Warners Bay              AFL

Phoebe Doran            Charlestown              C ross country

Oscar Cockle              Merewether              Football

Eve Howard               Muswellbrook            Football

Angus Anson Smith    Kotara South             Hockey

Kathryn Stuart (teacher)  Tarro                   Softball coach

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