The 8th annual Ross Kelly Cup rugby league carnival saw more than 500 New South Wales Clontarf academy members descend on Sydney in late August.
Named in celebration of the Foundation’s long-standing Chairman, the carnival’s purpose is to recognise students who have achieved excellent school attendance results, demonstrated exceptional in-class behaviour and unswerving dedication to Clontarf’s values.
Attending their very first Ross Kelly Cup in 2019, the Moruya Academy boys teamed up with fellow Karabar Academy (Queanbeyan) members for the duration of the carnival. Moruya Academy Director Charlie Shannon was delighted with the conduct of boys in his charge and has provided an insightful account of the group’s activities, which can be read below.
The Moruya Academy has enjoyed a successful first experience at the Ross Kelly Cup in Sydney with six lads taking part in the two-day extravaganza.
Five of the Year 9-10 boys teamed up with the Karabar Academy to create a formidable side, which played with spirit and sportsmanship throughout the carnival.
The Karabar/Moruya Combine were undefeated in the Preliminary Round with two wins and a draw, but as they scored second in the drawn game the result went to their opponent, Newcastle/Irrawang.
Despite the result, the boys had a great time and came back to school buzzing about their experience and, for the Year 9 students at least, looking forward to heading back next year.
The build up to the carnival was also a highlight, with the group enjoying the show at the Ross Kelly Cup dinner, held the night before at Luna Park in Sydney. We were thrilled to have Clontarf board member, Ennio Tavani, on our table along with Alicia Doherty from Clontarf partner Kellogg’s.
While there were plenty of special guests to meet and share their stories with, another highlight for the Moruya boys was seeing so many other Clontarf academy members from across the state, which gave them a more clear perspective of the sheer size of the Foundation.
Finally, before heading home on Friday, the group was lucky enough to get the opportunity to complete the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, a once-in-a-lifetime experience which we will treasure for years to come.
The Moruya Academy would like to thank everyone involved in making our first Ross Kelly Cup such a fantastic experience.
