After a year disrupted by COVID in 2020, Trinity Catholic College Goulburn will return to the rugby pitch this season.
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The college will do so under a new strategic direction. It has created a new position and appointed a rugby coordinator who will be responsible for administrating the extracurricular rugby program.
The Trinity Rugby Club was recently formed and a committee elected at a recent AGM.
The committee's role will be to assist the rugby coordinator with the implementation of the program within the college's new and revised policies and procedures for its extracurricular sporting program. Regular committee meetings continue to be held and any new members are welcome to attend. The club continues to recruit new volunteers and there are still many positions available on the general committee.
The Trinity Rugby Club sees itself as a 'development club' within the Southern Tablelands of NSW. Since its establishment in 2000, Trinity Catholic College has continued the tradition of playing the game of rugby on the campus and has helped develop rugby talent and provide senior rugby clubs with players locally and interstate.
Trinity aims to develop rugby players to support senior clubs in local towns within the community such as Goulburn, Taralga, Crookwell, and Braidwood. Members from these senior clubs continue to provide support within the College through their involvement with coaching and managing teams. These links continue to provide a valuable resource for player development and for the overall benefit to the game in the region.
The pathways available through the ACTJRU and the ACT Brumbies allows for the more gifted players to pursue opportunities within the Monaro and ACT areas.
Aspiring players have the opportunity to trial with and be selected in the South Coast/Monaro representative team in either the U14, U16 or U18 boys age divisions. Open trials are planned for Sunday, May 2, at Campese Oval in Queanbeyan.
The teams will play in the newly introduced Southern States Championships, which will be held in Canberra during the school holidays from Tuesday, July 7, to Thursday, July 9, at the RMC Playing Fields in Canberra, using Portsea Oval as the main venue.
Matches will be played against the likes of ACT (split into three teams), Southern Inland, Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Central West and Tasmania.
A combined ACT representative team will be selected from these championships to play games against NSW Country and Illawarra. A girls' representative program is also being planned for the post season.
With a focus on community engagement led by the College principal, Trinity has implemented an 'External Player Policy' which allows non-Trinity students to apply to become members of the school's weekend rugby teams.
The new policy is based on a similar initiative that has been successfully implemented by Canberra's Daramalan College over many years and who play in the same competition as Trinity.
Several budding local rugby enthusiasts have taken up the opportunity and have been successful in their application to play in Trinity colours during 2021.
Although teams have been training for several weeks, positions remain available and applications will remain open in all age groups until squads are filled. Interested players within the wider Goulburn community can apply by contacting the Rugby Coordinator at the college.
After consistent, ongoing efforts from the college PDHPE department and assistance from the Brumbies' development team, female rugby continues to grow within the school.
Ever since Trinity's first girls' seven-a-side team was formed in 2013, female rugby has continued to grow in the region and the college will enter three girls' teams under a ten-a-side pathways format in the 2021 ACTJRU competition.
The core group of players from the 2019 Under 16 Girls' team have regrouped and, along with the recruitment of several new players, will enter the Under 18 competition fully prepared.
These girls have inspired a new generation of female athletes who will form teams in the Under 14s and Under 16 competitions, giving Trinity a full complement of female teams.
Based on current interest Trinity will be entering teams in the 2021 ACTJRU competition in the following age groups. U13 Boys, U14 Girls, U14 Boys, U15 Boys, U16 Girls, U16 Boys and U18 Girls divisions. We encourage all interested rugby players in the region to become involved.
Although all head coaching positions have been filled there are still several team management positions that remain vacant. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact the Rugby Coordinator.
Trinity recently had thirteen of its coaches attend a level 1 coaching course run by the Brumbies development team at Trinity. A couple more of our coaches will be attending a level 2 course in April. These courses have been kindly sponsored by the Trinity Rugby Club and are an investment into the future development of our volunteers and players.
The ACT Brumbies also held a referee course at the College. Trinity had 14 students attend the course and they are currently in the process of completing their online components. These budding referees will assist with officiating matches at the 'Fizzy Reds' competition on Friday nights while on Saturdays will be involved With the ACTJRU competition.
The Trinity Rugby Club is currently in the process of recruiting sponsors to assist financially with the implementation of its program.
The school thanked its current sponsors, and said any interested businesses are encouraged to contact the club to work out an arrangement.
Brumbies players will be visiting Trinity rugby training on Tuesday, April 20, between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. All teams will be training on Wexted Oval and Trinity Rugby Club will be providing a free BBQ with everyone within the local community welcome and encouraged to attend.
Trinity will be hosting Canberra Grammar School in a full day of trial matches for all its teams on Saturday, April 24. Matches will commence at 10.30am with games to be played on Wexted and Number 2 Ovals.
The local Goulburn Cadet Unit will conduct an ANZAC ceremony prior to the final match on Wexted Oval to coincide with the following days annual ANZAC commemorations. The ACTJRU competition commences the following weekend on Saturday, May 1, with the draw yet to be announced.
Trinity Rugby looks forward to being back on the paddock in 2021 and welcomes the greater Goulburn community to be involved.
Contact the Trinity Rugby Coordinator on 48213600 or at evan.rees@cg.catholic.edu.au.
Contact the Trinity Rugby Club President on 48213600 or at andrew.morton@cg.catholic.edu.au.
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