Courageous Performance in Herald Sun Shield Grand Final

On Thursday 14 August, Catherine McAuley College Bendigo’s Premier League Football Team travelled to ETU Stadium on a beautiful sunny day to play Parade College in the Herald Sun Shield Grand Final. The excitement was high, given that this was the College’s first appearance in this prestigious competition since 1993, and the boys were pumped to have earned their spot in the final.

In the first quarter, the game began at a high intensity with extreme pressure applied at every contest all over the ground. Carter Reid kicked the first goal of the game at the 4-minute mark, which got the boys up and about. Seamus Doherty was competing well both in the ruck and at centre half forward, giving the team a solid presence. His contested marking and ability to get around the ground was a real highlight early. Patrick Blake was also influential early, winning plenty of contested possessions and helping to drive the ball forward. Riley Travaglia found himself on the end of some brilliant transitional play out of defence late in the quarter which saw him have a set-shot on goal from 40 metres out. He kicked truly, which ignited a mini celebration and the team went into the quarter time break just one point down. Parade 2-2-14 to CMCB 2-1-13.

The second quarter saw Parade College get off to a flying start, kicking two goals in five minutes. Tyce Griffin however wrestled some of the momentum back with a classy goal at the 10-minute mark. For the rest of the quarter, Parade struggled with their accuracy in front of goal, kicking 4 behinds, but this was a result of the unrelenting pressure that the CMCB team were putting on the players and at every contest. Jaidi Jackson-Leahy showcased his exceptional skills by foot and was a key contributor in getting the ball forward, as he consistently found plenty of the football through the middle of the ground. Riley Travaglia, Hugh Behrens and Bailey Warfe continued to win a number of one-on-one contests down back, as they were proving to be difficult to match up on. At half time, Parade held a slender 11-point lead 4-6-30 to 3-1-19.

The third quarter saw Parade College start strongly again as they dominated the centre clearances and kicked two goals in quick succession. Max Thompson then responded with a goal for CMCB at the 6-minute mark, and Seamus Doherty capped off the quarter with a composed set-shot goal from 40 metres out just before the three-quarter time break. The quarter was another tough encounter, as Parade tried to bully their way through every contest, but the CMCB boys were not giving up and holding their own. Sitting just 21 points in arrears, coach Coghlan was incredibly impressed with the boys’ effort and determination, and gave an inspiring speech at three-quarter time, to will the boys to give it their all for the last 20 minutes.

Parade College opened the final quarter with a burst of momentum, kicking three goals in the first five minutes, as well as dominating contested possessions. Their forward entries continued to create scoring opportunities, despite the desperate efforts of our defenders. Carter Reid gave CMCB a glimmer of hope with a goal at the 9-minute mark, followed by a goal to Max Thompson at the 16-minute mark, but Parade controlled the remainder of the game, kicking three more goals to seal the result on the back of a dominant last quarter.

Although the boys went down, their effort, endeavour and willingness to play for each other and as a team was something that they should all be very proud of. They challenged a powerful and talented team like no one else had, and we could not be prouder of how they played. The final score was Parade 13-14-92 to CMCB 7-1-43. It may have been a 49-point loss in the end, but the game itself was much closer than that.

Congratulations boys on a fantastic 2025 campaign – to win the SSV Premier League Competition and then finish as the Herald Sun Shield Runners Up is an incredibly amazing result for a team that always gave their all for each other.

Best Players: Patrick Blake (Best on Ground), Jaidi Jackson-Leahy, Seamus Doherty, Riley Travaglia, Bailey Warfe.

TEAM: Mr Leigh Millard (Assistant Coach), Thomas Davie, Charlie Duke, Patrick Blake, Xavier Grant, Jaidi Jackson-Leahy, Llogan Mayman, Bailey Warfe, Zane Connick, Ben Miller, Lenny McNamara, Seamus Doherty, Nicholas Harvey, Riley Travaglia, Max Connick, Miller Nihill, Jimmy Mathews, Mr Lee Coghlan (Coach), Mr Xavier Walsh (Manager), Kade Hutchinson, Archie Stevens, Oliver Stewart, Jack Nuttall, Shannon Tardrew, Carter Reid, Harvey White, Oscar Cail, Tyce Griffin, Gus Hay, Hugh Behrens, Joshua Kelly, Charlie King, Kobi MacDonald, Max Thompson, Darby Whatley, Mack Skinner