Rex Barra Winners!After a great qualifying round run, the Haileybury Bloods have claimed the annual Clontarf Rex Barra AFL cup at Sanderson High School. Throughout the course of Term 3, Clontarf academies in Darwin participated in the annual Rex Barra Cup. This is a round-robin AFL competition played after school weekly, leading into a Gala Day with finals in Week 7. Sport is a key pillar of Clontarf, promoting leadership, teamwork, commitment, and healthy lifestyles. The Rex Barra Cup is a great vehicle for these valuable life lessons. Going into the Gala Day at Sanderson High School, Haileybury had taken all before them with wins over Taminmin, Nightcliff, Sanderson, and Rosebery. The team was determined to take out the cup whilst maintaining strong Clontarf spirit and teamwork along the way. With some nervous energy in the air, Game 1 kicked off with Haileybury taking on Dripstone. After a tight opening half, Haileybury kicked away to win by three or four goals. Bradley was a standout performer up forward, kicking a couple of goals and setting up more. Levi was strong down back, and Angelo excelled in the ruck. This win gave the team great confidence! Game 2 pitted Haileybury against Katherine, a perennial strong opponent. Haileybury came out of the blocks strong and quickly established a lead. Elijah, Will, and Caleb led the way in the midfield. Jackson and Sam were a handful for the opposition up forward, while Tyrique anchored the backline. Katherine showed great resilience in the second half to tighten the game up, with Haileybury eventually running out winners by a few goals. The final awaited. It was all on the line against the Rosebery Hawks. The Haileybury Bloods had waited for this moment and played like it, bringing the pressure and spirit that had helped them throughout the tournament. This led to a five-goal win in a very even team effort! James was awarded the Clontarf Spirit for the day for his great mix of skill and sportsmanship. All players contributed to a great effort and celebrated together. |
Staff vs Student Game Goes Down to the Buzzer!
Early starts, big tackles, plenty of laughs and a buzzer-beating finish the annual Clontarf Staff vs Student Footy Game had it all!
The alarm clocks were ringing at 6am, but there were no complaints as the Clontarf community came together for one of the biggest events on the annual calendar the Clontarf Staff vs Student Footy Game. An awesome 29 staff members turned up ready to represent the staff, while 30 students hit the field, with several more students lining the sidelines to watch, cheer and support their mates.
The game was played with plenty of energy and competitive spirit from the opening bounce. Both teams battled hard, and with the scores locked up late in the game, it all came down to the final moments. Then came the moment the boys talked about a lot! Jaren took a massive mark on Brad, sending the boys into a frenzy, before the game went down to the final buzzer.
With the scores even, Will Brown stepped up and sealed the win with a dramatic buzzer-beating kick, sparking celebrations from the students and sending the staff into heartbreak!
The game was made even more special with Principal Mr. McGregor showing his support from the sidelines. He even joined the staff at half-time to deliver a much-needed pump-up speech, firing the team up for the second half.
After the final siren, everyone headed back to the Clontarf Room for one of the most important parts of the day the famous Clontarf bacon and egg wraps. After an early morning start and a hard-fought game, they were well deserved!
A huge special thanks to Sir Rob, who once again stepped up to umpire our footy game. His commitment to helping make these events happen every year is greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all the staff that supported a successful morning for Haileybury and Clontarf. Looking forward to next year already.
Award winners were
Umpires' MVP: Mazlan
Clontarf Spirit Award: Elijah
Staff MVP: Mr Liam
Brad Ryan
Academy Director
