WINTER SPORT ROUND-UP

The 2026 season was one of the most successful in recent memory, highlighted by outstanding performances across all age groups and representative levels.

The Intermediate squad produced an exceptional campaign, finishing second in the AAGPS Premiership. The team was led by a talented group including Josh Westmoreland (III), John Wechsler (III), Charlie Naughton (III), and Craig Kelly (III), whose consistency and determination throughout the season enabled Grammar to challenge the strongest schools in the competition.

Beyond the AAGPS season, Grammar athletes continued to excel at representative level. The School was represented by an impressive fourteen athletes at the CIS Championships, with four athletes earning NSW State selection and three progressing to the Australian Cross Country Championships, a testament to the depth and quality of the programme.

Individually, Josh Westmoreland (III) enjoyed a remarkable season, highlighted by his victory in the Under 15 division of the City2Surf, one of Australia’s premier running events. His achievement reflects both his dedication and the strength of the training culture within the squad.

Finally, special recognition must go to Captain Solomon Tan (VI), whose leadership was exemplary throughout the season. Solomon led with maturity, commitment, and enthusiasm, setting a positive standard for younger athletes and helping to foster the strong team culture that underpinned the squad’s success both on and off the course.

The 2026 football programme enjoyed another successful season, with strong performances across the age groups. The First XI reached the Sydney FC Cup Final for the second consecutive year, facing Oakhill College and narrowly missing out in a penalty shootout. Their Plate Cup campaign was highlighted by an impressive 6–2 victory over Sydney Boys High School. They also had an outstanding GPS campaign, finishing second by just one point and losing only one of their seven matches. Grammar scored the most goals and conceded the fewest in the competition.

Michael Klein (V) and Fraser Rowan (VI) were selected in the GPS Representative Team, recognising their outstanding performances throughout the season.

The Second XI’s standout win of the season came away against St Joseph’s College, producing some fantastic finishes in an impressive 3–0 victory. Several age groups across the programme also enjoyed particularly successful seasons. The 14A, 14B and 15D teams all completed their seasons undefeated, with the 14B team remarkably conceding just one goal throughout the season.

Overall, the 2026 season was another positive year for Grammar football, highlighted by strong team performances, representative honours and continued development throughout the programme.

Taekwondo

The 2026 taekwondo season concluded with great success for our boys. Our First V team for 2026 consisted of captain Caspar Dive (VI), Will Errington (VI), Oliver Shen (V), Jimmy Luo (IV), and Preston Tran (IV). Throughout the season, these boys demonstrated determination and resilience, battling their way to a well-earned second-place finish on the ladder and securing a place in the final. In a closely contested championship match, they narrowly fell 3-2 to St Aloysius, but their efforts throughout the season were outstanding.

At the All-Schools competition, a strong combination of junior and senior fighters faced opponents from a wide range of schools. Their collective performance saw them claim the All-Schools Palkhe Cup for the third consecutive year, a remarkable achievement and testament to the strength of the programme.

This season also marked the introduction of a junior sparring competition in a First V format, which is set to be formally established next year. Congratulations to all involved. The boys finish the season with many memorable experiences, significant achievements, and plenty of excitement for what lies ahead in 2027.

Rifles

A combination of rigorous indoor laser, dry firing at College Street mid-week and live firing on the weekends at Hornsby Rifle Range put the rifle club in good stead for the AAGPS competition in 2026. Our inexperienced shooters developed marksmanship skills on the .22 rifle while our senior shooters concentrated on the big bore.

During the last week of the Term II holidays, a camp was conducted at Hornsby with twenty-four boys from the big bore squad. At the end of the week, we analysed the boy’s performances and statistics before selecting eighteen boys to go to the GPS Competition.

Congratulations to the Seconds Rifles for successfully defending their premiership. In the process of doing so, they beat their score from last year by twenty points and set a new GPS record and statistically beat the scores of all the other GPS Firsts teams.

Our First Rifles defended their premiership, bettering last year’s results by winning all three competitions in a clean sweep and claiming the title of a Championship team. This is the third consecutive year the Firsts have won the premiership.

Having performed so well as a team at the GPS Competition, six of our boys from the Firsts were selected into the GPS Combined Team: Ian Bierer (VI), Yesung Cho (VI), Yoon Sung Cho (IV), Christopher Sevastos (VI) (and Captain of the GPS team), Gabriel Song (VI) and Matthew Wong (VI).