GCC Rugby 7’s Boys are SCISSA champions: The 2018 season was a historic one for the intermediate boys’ team. They were the first team to win the Rugby 7’s SCISSA Champions flag for Glasshouse Christian College.
The Rugby Union 7’s team comprised of some rugby league and soccer players who decided to try their hand at “the game they play in heaven”!
They had to learn the rules for what happens after a tackle (no flopping like a fish). They had to get the knack of tackling low. But most importantly they had to trust each other on the field. They had to play as a team to achieve their successes. They should be commended for their attitudes toward their opponents and teammates.
The team consisted of 12 fearless boys:
Damian Tomokino – Captain: A leader of men, putting in heavy hits and rampaging runs. Kept the team highly motivated through his words both on and off the field. In his first year playing rugby for GCC without injury, he was our talismanic captain. The team has learnt and grown a great deal under his leadership.
Nash Davis: A gentleman off the field, a tackling machine on the field. Nash never missed an opportunity to make crunching tackles, stopping any possible attack the opposition had in mind. His best moment was the one-handed pass to create a try from our line-out. You can see this in the footage from the last sports wrap. Nash had the honour of celebrating his birthday on the day we won the Grand Final.
Elliot Stevens: Possibly the most intelligent player we had on the team, his knowledge of the rules served the team well. His communication at the ruck was excellent. Elliot knew exactly when to pass and when to run. A real student of the game.
Brodie Marshall – Wildcard: The team didn’t know which Brodie would turn up to play that week. We could either have the Flash or Ant-Man. Either way, his character and sense of humour kept us in stitches on the sidelines.
Riley McMillan: By channelling his inner “Jarred Hayne”, Riley played in multiple positions for the team. He would go on to be our most consistent scorer, but this also meant that he might retire soon to play a different version of the sport. Riley scored many tries, but the one in the Grand Final will be remembered as the one that sealed the deal.
River Richard Williamson: River terrorised defenders by his speed and size. He would always break through the first tackle and gain metres with every carry. River played through a shoulder injury to become our human battering ram breaking through defensive lines.
Harrison Brannigan: Big Harry Brannigan was never easily tackled by any opposition, a strong presence in the sheds, an even stronger runner with the ball. A Scrum specialist, Harry’s passion for Rugby will continue to be met with success in the future. Harry’s strength will be an asset to any team.
Tate Doneathy: A fearless attacker and dependable defender. Tate showed a calm presence and made every pass, catch and tackle make a difference. An all-round player who will continue to enjoy his rugby for years to come.
Jacob Barbeler: This was his first time playing rugby and his athleticism and willingness to learn the game allowed Jacob to enjoy great success during the season. His finest moment was the hat-trick he scored in the game against Nambour Christian College.
Nikolas Gowen: This was Nik’s first year playing rugby at GCC. He brought a great energy to our team and always had a positive attitude with words of encouragement and a smile on his face. Nik was an asset in defence with his relentless pursuit of attackers using grit and determination to stop them in their tracks.
Ryan White: An experienced rugby player, Ryan had the speed of a gazelle and the strength of a Rhino. He showed these qualities every time he put on the jersey to play for his school. Ryan scored prolific tries, running more metres with the ball than all the other players.
Vinny Porfiri: Vinny played just one game before he had a season-ending injury. We will remember his great sense of humour and motivational speeches.
With just two losses all season it became destiny for the team to take the title. The first recorded win was from a forfeit. They then went on to get a win against Immanuel Lutheran College before suffering their first defeat against a strong Pacific Lutheran team. Determined to make amends the team surged forward to two straight wins against ILC and Nambour respectively. We met strong opposition in our first game against St Andrews narrowly losing after controversial scorekeeping by the referee.
The team showed their stripes by not losing any other games leading up to the Grand Final, where they were awarded the Championship.
Well done to these boys. They have made their school proud.
Ryan Carolissen (Coach)
Senior Volleyball – grand final results
Our Senior Volleyball teams have competed exceptionally well this term with three out of the four teams entered playing off in grand finals in Week 10.
Congratulations to the Senior Girls’ B team for winning their Grand Final. The results from all finals games were as follows:



Lawn bowls – GCC play offs
Lawn bowls is a sport that has been growing in popularity amongst Australia’s younger generation in recent years. During Term 2, our Middle School students have had exposure to the sport during middle school sport time. On Friday 21 June the Glasshouse Bowls Club hosted the GCC playoffs and the winning pair will represent our College at the Bowls QLD, Secondary Schools Cup. This will be held at Club Pine Rivers in Brisbane on 29 and 30 August.

MBA – Schools National Championships
After our school’s success in the MTB relay events last year, GCC will again send a team of riders to the Mountain Bike Australia, Schools National Championships. This event will be held at Nerang on the Gold Coast from 3 to 5 August.
A team of dedicated GCC Mountain Bike Riders have already been training under the guidance of nationally recognised skills coach, Craig Quinn. Training sessions have been taking place every Monday from 3:30pm to 5pm at the Ferny track opposite the Big Kart track on Steve Irwin Way.
The National Championships will be held in the Nerang State Forest, which was home to the recent Commonwealth Games MTB competition. GCC riders will be ready for the riding conditions given that the Ferny track they are training at is very similar in its level of difficulty.
Races over the course of the weekend include the XCO and the XCE individual races held on the Friday and Saturday. The relay races will be held on the Sunday and GCC relay teams have been listed below. If students listed are no longer able to participate they should notify Mr Beattie via email.
www.mtba.asn.au/event/schools/
SCISSA Touch Football – Term 3
After our SCISSA competition successes this year with Volleyball and Rugby 7s there has been a concerted effort to raise the standard and competitiveness of our Touch Football teams for next term. St Andrews, Grammar and Matthew Flinders have been the Touch Football competition leaders in recent years and it is time for GCC teams to put their stamp on this competition. The effort has already started with many of our teams who have been training together over the course of the last month in preparation. The acquisition of Touch Football specific coaches will also ensure our teams are equipped with the tactical nous to get the edge on the opposition. Mr Bullock and Mr Osberger are new acquisitions to our teaching staff this year and both have a plethora of coaching experience. Similarly, Desley Palmer returns to coach our teams along with QLD State player Tom Eddie from the Sunshine Coast University, Keosha Laugesen, Mitch Fraser, Liam Dart and Yoel Jogiono.
Teams have been selected and listed below. If you are a student and have missed this selection process or you are listed below and are no longer able to participate in this competition then contact Mr Beattie via email ASAP.
Sunshine Coast Fraser and Burnett District Touch Association are holding their Annual Sunshine Coast Secondary All Schools tournament. This will be held at Glasshouse Sports Complex, Steve Irwin Way, Glasshouse on the last Sunday in July (29).
This event was started in 2010 with 38 teams, each year the number of teams has increased. This is the first year Glasshouse Christian College has entered any teams so it is very exciting! Nominations are open to all boys and girls from ages 11 – 18 years. To nominate, students must complete this Google form by the end of Term 2:
The Sunshine Coast Secondary Schools Basketball Competition kicks off on Friday nights in Term 3. Training on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings have started with players keen to play and learn. More players welcome to come and try.
GCC Eagles have entered seven teams. There have been 180 teams nominate from schools across the region with GCC having teams in every age division.
Junior (Year 7/8) Girls
Junior (Year 7/8) Boys Maroon
Junior (Year 7/8) Boys Green
Intermediate (Year 9/10) Boys
Intermediate (Year 9/10) Girls
Senior (Year 11/12) Boys
Senior (Year 11/12) Girls

Matthew Beattie, Head of PE and Sport