Sports
Inspiring co-operation and mutual respect,
competitiveness is encouraged for the sake of students
giving their best, rather than for the sake of winning.
From Year 7, all students are required to participate in a Summer and a Winter sport which involves mid-week training and a Saturday commitment of inter-school competitions, under the authority of the Combined Associated Schools (CAS).
Coaching is provided by members of staff, external coaches, and specialist personnel. Testimony to the value of these programmes is the School’s history of success across all sports.
Sports News
- All
Hawaiian gold
Trinity encourages a wide range of sporting pursuits but they don’t come much more exotic than winning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gold medals in Hawaii. Kobe Harb (8Hi) came home with three gold medals and the championship belt from the North American Grappling Association’s Hawaiian Championships in Honolulu. He competed in both his division and the category [...]
Caiden joins Sydney Swans in the AFL big time
Caiden Cleary (’22) has capped a huge year by officially becoming a Sydney Swan in the AFL national draft. The Swans Academy player’s graduation to the game’s biggest stage makes him the most notable product of Trinity’s AFL programme since the School helped establish the code among independent schools a decade ago. The School fielded [...]
Nail-biting hoops win
A Year 8 basketballer provided the most memorable finish of the weekend’s sport by shooting six points in the final 20 seconds to turn a three-point deficit into a three-point victory. Leon Parkes (8Yo) nailed a three-pointer after a time out to level the scores; Trinity then got the ball back and he repeated the [...]
AFL
The Trinity AFL programme provides an opportunity for students to play in the Independent Schools Competition.
All AFL footballers are encouraged to join the Trinity Grammar School AFL program, where they compete in the the Independent Schools Championship. Trinity plays against both CAS and GPS schools in a combined competition.
Students in Years 9 and 10 chasing representative football, are eligible to nominate to trial for the CIS representative team. Open to all players under the age of 15 at 1 January of a given year.
In the Opens Division, Trinity students are eligible to trial and potentially represent the combined CAS team, when they take on the combined GPS team in the yearly fixture. To date, several Trinity students have been selected for this representative team and been valuable contributors on the day of competition.
Those in Years 7-12 are welcome to participate in AFL.
Basketball
Since Trinity’s original 1st V formed in 1969, Basketball has flourished at Trinity to become one of the most participated sports in the School. Across the Senior, Preparatory, and Junior School campuses, there are no fewer than 72 teams.
‘Team before self’ is the Trinity motto, which has propelled the School’s firsts team to an impressive 16 CAS titles, two NSW CIS Championships and two NSW All Schools final four places. Trinity Basketball has enjoyed continual success built on team first mentality and a relentless defensive mindset and Trinity is considered one of the best Basketball schools in NSW, regularly producing representative players for Australian and NSW under-age and schoolboy teams.
Trinity offers plenty of development programmes at the School, from morning individual sessions, to a Specialist Squad for the elite players which is part of the Co-curricular programme.
Basketball at Trinity can also provide a pathway to coveted US college scholarships and professional careers.
Basketball is offered from Year 4 to 12 with a number of teams in each year group. Training sessions vary depending on which year group they play in with games against other Independent Schools each Saturday.
CAS 1st V Premierships
2021, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2012*, 2011*, 2010*, 2009, 2004*, 2003, 2002, 1991*, 1990*, 1988*, 1974* (*undefeated)
NSW CIS Champions
2003, 1991
NSW CIS Runners Up
2017, 2016, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2004, 2003, 1991
NSW All Schools Finalists
2003, 1991
CAS 2nd, V Premierships
2022, 2021, 2020, 2008* (*undefeated)
Some examples of Trinity Basketball Alumni who have gone onto future success include:
Tyrese Proctor (NCAA Duke University)
Davo Hickey (NBL)
Trinitarian’s pathway to basketball elite
If American basketball pundits prove correct, Tyrese Proctor will be the number seven NBA draft pick in 2024, which would catapult him to a starting salary around $5 million. The Trinitarian is widely tipped to be on track for a spot in the cream of the crop, the top 15 in the NBA draft lottery. [...]
Cricket
Cricket is one of the traditional and founding summer sports at Trinity. The first CAS Premiership awarded to the School was in 1931, with the team regularly being awarded the Premiership in the years since, with the most recent Premiership being in 2018. Trinity enters teams into each of the age group competitions from Year 7, all the way up to the 1st XI.
Students who choose Cricket as their Co-curricular sport reap the benefits of high level coaching, which aims to improve every individual both as a player and as a person. Cricket is open to boys of all ability levels and each boy is given the opportunity to thrive in a team environment.
Cricket is available for boys from Year 4 onwards.
CAS Premiers
1931, 1933, 1938, 1939, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1995, 1999, 2006, 2017, 2018
NSW All Schools semi-finalists
2019
Australian Schoolboys representatives
1967, 1969, 2015, 2016
Australian Underage Representatives
2017, 2019
Cross Country
Trinity Cross Country has a proud history of competitive participation in inter-school, community, and representative running events. While many students have come to school eager runners, others have learned to master latent talents, and still others have cultivated a lifelong passion for the sport. We are fortunate to have the opportunities, facilities, coaching, and experience to cater for every level of runner.
The programme focuses on middle- to long-distance running on a variety of terrain. Trinity participates in the CAS and GPS Winter Cross Country season across three age categories: U14, U16, and Open. Depending on their age group, students run from 3-8 kilometres in Saturday competition. We participate in the schools pathway to the National Cross Country Championships through CAS, CIS, and NSW All Schools representation.
Students engage in a carefully structured training programme throughout the season, with off-season training offered as part of the Middle Distance Squad in the Track and Field Programme. Participating in Cross Country is the perfect lead in to the CAS Track and Field season – particularly for those in the Middle Distance Squad – which starts the week after the Cross Country season finishes.
All students in Years 7-12 are encouraged to take part in Cross Country.
Of note is that those students who already partake in another sport are heartily encouraged to sign up for Cross Country as a second sport. We gladly welcome any such athletes to attend extra training sessions during the week if they wish (although there is no obligation to do so) and to run at Saturday invitationals whenever possible.
CAS Cross Country Champions: 1995, 1996, 1997, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Trinity has runners on a regular basis who earn selection for the representative CAS, CIS, and NSW teams.
Cross country winner puts the green and white first
Old boy Ollie Hoare inspires Trinity distance runners Trinity distance runners, urged on by champion old boy Ollie Hoare, registered an individual first and third as well as two team placings in the Schools Challenge section of the World Cross Country championships at Mt Panorama, Bathurst. Jack Waide (12Ke) won the under-20 event, staged on [...]
The skinny kid who became a Games champion
He was bullied as a skinny runner in a southern Sydney high school where rugby league was king. Now he straddles the athletics world looking like a Greek god. Ollie Hoare, the first Trinitarian runner to win a Commonwealth Games individual gold medal, has told how a change of school helped change his life. His [...]
Football
Launched at Trinity in 1975, Football is now one of the largest winter sports with over 700 players in Year 4-12 participating (500+ students in Years 7-12). Trinity Football focuses on catering for all ability types and to create lifelong Football participants (be it players, officials, coaches or supporters). This is achieved through the development of Coaches who in turn facilitate the development of student ball mastery, teamwork, physical coordination and an understanding of principles of attack/defence.
Primary (Year 4-6) and senior years (Year 7-12).
The First XI has won:
the CAS Championship in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2010.
the Independent Schools’ Cup in 1986, 1989, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006 & 2011.
Non-Government Schools Cup in 2001, 2006 and 2011.
NSW All Schools Cup in 2011.
St Andrews Cup in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2013.
Kanga Cup in 2007.
Kings Cup in 2006, 2008 and 2011.
Inner West Tri Series (2021, 2022)
Other Achievements:
Bill Turner Cup in 2013 (U15’s)
Kanga Cup in 2008 and 2012 (U13’s)
| Name & Class | Achievement |
| David Cave (Class of 1986) | NSW Schoolboys |
| Russell Cotton (Class of 1994) | NSW Schoolboys |
| Adam Dapuzzo (Class of 2005) | NSW Schoolboys |
| Hamish McDonald (Class of | NSW Schoolboys |
| Ben Vidaic (Class of 2006) | Australian U17 |
| David Dapuzzo (Class of 2007) | Australian U17 |
| Jason Madonis (Class of 2013) | NSW & Australian Schoolboys |
| Thomas Stobierski (Class of 2021) | Australian U15 |
| Name & Class | Achievement |
| Adam Dapuzzo (Class of 2005) | Newcastle Jets, Western Sydney Wanderers, Australian Olyroos |
| Ben Vidaic (Class of 2006) | Sydney FC |
| David Dapuzzo (Class of 2007) | Central Coast Mariners |
| Connor O’Toole (Class of 2014) | Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC, Australian Olyroos |
| Chris Marques (Class of 2015) | Stoke City FC, Nottingham Forest |
| Nicholas Sullivan (Class of 2016) | Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory |
| William Todd (Class of 2017) | Columbia University (New York) Scholarship Holder, captained Sydney FC U18’s |
Rugby
Rugby has been played at Trinity for more than 100 years with the inaugural Trinity team competing for the first time in 1916. Typically more than 300 students in Year 7-12 represent Trinity during the winter season. Rugby at Trinity focuses on providing all participants, regardless of skill level, with a holistic sporting experience that fosters resilience, teamwork, and the ability to achieve individual success within the team framework.
Those in Primary (4-12) and Senior years (7-12) are welcome to participate in Rugby.
The 1st XV has won the Henry Plume Shield for CAS Champions in 1935, 1937, 1938, 1953, 1956, 1962, 1964, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1986, 1990, 2000 and 2011.
47 students have represented Trinity at NSW Schoolboys level with 17 of those young men going on to represent the school at Australian Schoolboys level.
The school currently has 7 old boys who represented the 1st XV now playing Rugby Union or Rugby League at a professional level, they include:
Scott Sio (2011) – Wallabies & Exeter Chiefs,
Jack Debreczeni (2011) – ACT Brumbies,
Cameron Orr (2012) – Melbourne Rebels,
Lachlan Illias (2017) – South Sydney Rabbitohs,
Tane Edmed (2018) – NSW Waratahs,
Thomas Lambert (2018) – NSW Waratahs,
Malachi Hawkes (2020) – Stade Toulousain (France),
Paulo Tauiliili-Pelesasa (2022) – Section Paloise (France).
Standing by him
"I hope Suli is looking down on us" Stand by me – they were the words sung many times by Suli Niulala to members of the Trinity community. This time they took him at his word. They stood by him, in spirit at least, singing those words back to him, and to each other. The [...]
Trinity Super Rugby Alumni go head to head
It was a Super Rugby match that could almost have doubled as a Trinity reunion when the NSW Waratahs hosted the ACT Brumbies before 25,000 fans at Allianz Stadium. Old boys Tom Lambert and Tane Edmed both turned out for the Waratahs against another old boy, Brumbies signing Jack Debreczini. It was the first time [...]
Australian Rugby Champs
Three Trinity students have become national rugby champions, helping the NSW Waratahs to victory in the final of the Australian under 16 championships. M.Meagher (10Hi), S.Niulala (11St) and D.Christodoulou (11Mu) were part of the team that defeated the Queensland Reds 40-10 in the final. Director of Rugby Mick Snowden described it as a “fantastic achievement”. [...]
Swimming
Swimming has been synonymous with Trinity since its foundation. Trinity is fortunate to host and facilitate a sporting programme that can cater for our young mini-squad swimmers, through to our developing and ambitious junior swimmers, all the way to those competing in National and International arenas.
The CAS Swimming Championships bring together everything great about Swimming at Trinity – the racing and competition is the benchmark for School boy Swimming in both NSW and Australia, but the atmosphere of the crowd and their relentless demonstration of School passion is on display.
All swimmers are encouraged to join the Trinity Grammar School Swimming Club, as this enables them to represent the School at various inter-club carnivals, along with Area, State and National Championships. The Swimming Club is currently regarded as a powerhouse in both NSW (2016 State Point Score Champions), and in Australia (2018, 2019, 2021 National Age Top Ten Club Point Score). Once students have completed their secondary schooling at Trinity, they are again encouraged to continue training at the School whilst competing for the Trinity Grammar School Swimming Club and undertaking their tertiary studies.
The Trinity Swimming programme has multiple levels and squads. This affords all students from Years 3 to 12 the opportunity to swim with other students of similar ability, and for a similar purpose. This may be for competition, fitness or a combination of the two.
The Trinity Swimming Team is privileged to train onsite at either of the two indoor aquatic facilities. Trinity’s 50m, 8 lane Olympic standard Centenary Aquatic Centre is a World-Class training facility with state-of-the-art video technology, consistent 2m depth and the ability to convert into two 25m pools short course pools within minutes. In addition, our indoor 25m 8 lane swimming and diving pool provides our students with ample water space to ensure their individual needs are met.
The Trinity Swimming Team has enjoyed remarkable success over many decades, culminating in being crowned as the Combined Associated Schools (CAS) NSW Swimming Champions an incredible 23 occasions since its inception in 1932. Most recently, Trinity set the record for the most consecutive championship wins of 13 years in succession (2004-2016).
CAS Premierships
1936, 1937, 1938, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1966, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Trinity Grammar School is honoured to be facilitating a pathway that develops swimmers into world-class athletes, as they earn the highest accolade of representing Australia on the International arena.
This list is ever growing, and includes five former Captains of the Trinity Swimming Team. Namely, Angus McDonald (class of 2019), James Traiforos (class of 2014), Kenneth To (class of 2009), Theodore Pasialis (class of 2007) and Wayne Shillington (class of 1984).
Swimmers set four All Schools records
Trinity swimmers broke four new championship records on their way to a 35-medal haul, including 11 golds, at the annual NSW All Schools meet at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, with the divers also grabbing two gold. Record-breaking performances came from Chris Montana (8He) in the 12-14 years 100m breaststroke, Sterling Tuxford (9WH) in the [...]
Trinity claims diving trophy and two CAS swim records
Oh so close, as swim team pushes Knox all the way Trinity students broke two CAS records as they came within a whisker of reclaiming the CAS swimming championship from arch rival Knox. Hayden Hoang (11Ta) set an individual record in the 17 years 50m backstroke, his time of 27.16s shaving two-hundredths of a second [...]
Caleb Dryer makes Australian open water swim team
Caleb Dryer not only won a swag of four gold medals at the NSW age swimming championships but went on to win selection in an Australian national team after switching to open water “on a whim”. Fresh from recording a 99-plus ATAR in his final year at Trinity, he won four titles in the 17-year [...]
Tennis
Tennis has been played at Trinity since 1913. Today, Tennis is played across the Preparatory, Junior, Middle and Senior School campuses, and is enjoyed across both Winter and Summer seasons.
Trinity’s Tennis program is designed so that every student can have an opportunity to participate, regardless of their ability.
32 students per year group are selected to play tennis per season. Unless a student is selected as one of the top 4 players in a year group, they are unable to compete two seasons in a row, this is designed to allow more students to participate.
1960 – An unofficial inter-school competition begins between Trinity and a group of other CAS and GPS schools.
1972 – Tennis was acknowledged, for the first time at Trinity, as an inter-school sport in its own right.
1999 – Trinity’s 1st IV enjoyed its most successful CAS season, finishing second to Knox by a single point. The 15As were also undefeated CAS Premiers.
2000 – Trinity broke Knox’s seven-year domination of the CAS Premiership, winning the School’s first tennis title.
2001 – Trinity became the first team in the competition’s history to pass 100 points, scoring 103.
2015 – Trinity win the Summer CAS Premiership 2015 – Trinity win The CAS Winter Premiership
2017 – Trinity win the CAS Summer Premiership
2020 – Trinity win the CAS Winter Premiership
2020 – James McCabe (2020) won the Pizzey Cup (Best Schoolboy Tennis Player in Australia) and was selected in the Australian Schoolboys Merit Team in the number 1 position.
The Trinitarian who faced world number one on centre court
He’s the only man to face Novak Djokovic on centre court at Rod Laver Arena in the past year, and he has been named young male player of the year by Tennis NSW. So how did old Trinitarian James McCabe come to be on the opposite side of the net to the world number one? [...]
Track and Field
Track & Field at Trinity Grammar School is available to students all year round, with quality coaching available for:
● Sprints
● Hurdles
● Middle distance
● Long jump
● Javelin
● Shot put
● Discus
Trinity has a very proud athletic history, producing outstanding results at the CAS Track & Field Championships, NSW and Australian All Schools, NSW and Australian Nitro, and NSW and Australian Junior Championships.
Many Trinity boys have gone to represent Australia in Track & Field at the highest level, including most recently, Rohan Browning, Oliver Hoare, and Alex Kolesnikoff.
Track & Field is available for those in Years 3-12, with age-appropriate activities and sessions planned and delivered in line with both the Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia development guidelines.
August/September – CAS Track & Field season
Mid-September – CAS Track & Field Championship
November – NSW All Schools & NSW Nitro
December – Australian All Schools & Australian Nitro
February/March – NSW Junior Championships
March/April – Australian Junior Championships
CAS Champion School
1932, 1940, 1941, 1955, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019,
State Nitro
Have been competing at State Nitro (called Schools Knockout) since 2009
Gold Medals – 10
Silver Medals – 15
Bronze Medals – 5
In 2021 we won two gold medals and 1 silver medal, which would have qualified three teams to National Nitro – however it was cancelled due to COVID-19
National Nitro
Every year since 2009, we have taken a team of athletes in all categories to National Nitro – Junior, Intermediate and Senior, achieving medals in at least one of the categories each year.
Our Intermediate team gained the right to compete at the World Schools through winning the Gold Medal in 2017 and 2018 in the intermediate division. In 2019, Trinity was the first boys’ school to gain the gold medal in all three divisions – Junior, Intermediate, and Senior.
World Schools
2017 – 5th place
2019 – Gold Medal – World Schools Champion
NSW All Schools representatives
Over 40 athletes each year compete in NSW All Schools, with up to 15 medallists each year to then compete at National All Schools
National All Schools representatives
15 athletes compete each year at National All Schools
Oceania Athletics
2022
Silver Medal – U20 Javelin
Bronze Medal – U18 Shot Put
7th Place – U16 Teams Challenge
2019
Gold Medal – U20 Triple Jump
Many Trinity boys have gone to represent Australia in Track & Field at the highest level, including most recently, Rohan Browning, Oliver Hoare, and Alex Kolesnikoff.
NSW All Schools Track & Field Championships
The NSW All Schools Track & Field Championships were held over the first four days of the September school holidays with 56 Trinity Grammar School boys taking part across a total of 103 events. There were many outstanding performances across the competition, with many medals, seasons bests and personal bests recorded. Among the more impressive [...]
CAS Track and Field – CAS Championship
For the fifth time in a row, Trinity Grammar have won the Andrew Reid Cup for the highest point scoring team at the CAS Track & Field Championships! It was a wet afternoon at Olympic Park, but for the 121 selected athletes, this did not stop them putting in PB after PB and quality performance [...]
The skinny kid who became a Games champion
He was bullied as a skinny runner in a southern Sydney high school where rugby league was king. Now he straddles the athletics world looking like a Greek god. Ollie Hoare, the first Trinitarian runner to win a Commonwealth Games individual gold medal, has told how a change of school helped change his life. His [...]
Volleyball
Volleyball was first officially introduced at Trinity as an inter-House sport in the mid-1970s. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most successful sports at Trinity. Volleyball is a combined GPS and CAS sport during Winter and CAS-only during Summer.
Throughout each season, boys are encouraged to attend Volleyball specific strength and conditioning sessions to supplement their on-court training, while also following the TGS Physical Syllabus.
There are also many opportunities for students to trial for the CAS Opens Volleyball team and the CIS Opens Volleyball team. Representative Volleyball generally takes place throughout May/June each year.
Volleyball is offered to Years 9-12, where the main season is in Winter. In Summer, there are three Opens teams, where in Winter there is an additional offering for u16s teams.
CAS Summer Season Premiers
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
CAS Winter Season Premiers
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 (joint with Sydney Grammar), 2012, 2013 (joint with Sydney Grammar), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, (CAS winners SBHS Overall winners), 2020 (CAS only competition)
CAS and GPS – Joint Winter Competition Premiers
2016
How two tyros turned into Aussie reps
Top quality coaching and help with extra training are two common factors that helped turn two Trinity sportsmen from Year 7 beginners into Australian representatives. School Captain Steven Y (12Mu) has been selected in the national under 20 volleyball team for the Asian championships in Bahrain in August. Water polo first team captain Thomas R [...]
Water Polo
Water Polo was introduced as a competitive sport at Trinity in 1986, officially expanding the water sports programme. Since the very beginning, Trinity has been seen as a leader in the sport amongst Independent Schools.
Trinity currently has 11 teams entered into the combined CAS / GPS Water Polo Competition. In December 2019, Trinity held an international fixture between Croatia and Australia.
Waterpolo is offered as a competitive sport for boys in Years 7-12
A Primary School training programme is on offer and provides students with an opportunity to learn the basics of the sport.
CAS Champions
2022
CAS / GPS Champions
2006
Numerous players have been selected in representative teams, including Australian junior teams.
Five water polo players win rep honours
Five Trinitarians have been named in Australian junior water polo teams, setting themselves up for valuable international experience. Representative honours went to Max Burke-Moore (11Ar), Orlando Mina (10St), and Taj Young (9We), who were selected for overseas tours in June, followed later in the year by Lucas Young (12We) and Harper Stewart (12St). Old hands [...]
Trinity trio dives into water polo’s big league
School also gains a new national rep Three Trinity students have made it to water polo’s national league, building on one of the most successful years for the sport in the School’s history. Captain of the Firsts Lucas Y (12We), Captain of Water Polo Harper S (12St) and Harry R (12Ta) won selection in the [...]
Water Polo | Australian Water Polo Representative News
A huge congratulations to the 2022 Captain of Water Polo and Captain of Trinity 1st VII Thomas R. (12Ke) on his selection in the Australian Youth Team to compete at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. This tour will include a training camp with the Montenegro and Serbian National Youth teams. We look forward to [...]
Others
See below for other sport options:
Trinity has a long and strong history of Diving. The School competes in a number of invitationals and competitions, culminating in the CAS Diving Competition where they compete for the Stephen Barnett Shield. Trinity has won in excess of 35 CAS competitions.
Of the three Fencing codes, Trinity students learn to fence with the foil: a short blade descended from the smallsword of the 17th and 18th centuries. Unlike other solo competitions, Fencing places less emphasis on endurance and the ability to move quickly for long periods. Instead, foil fencing is akin to chess, where the competition is determined by preparation during the bout and in reading one’s opponent rather than in the execution of an attack.
This Co-curricular activity provides an opportunity for students who are already involved in Golf to further develop their skills and understanding of the game. It is open to those who have an AGU Handicap or are part of a Cadet Programme through their local Golf Club. There is also an Inter Schools Golf Series Competition that students participate in.
Lawn bowls is a predominantly non-competitive sport that Senior students in the School undertake each week. At times the School participates in an invitational competition against other CAS schools.
Based on Boxercise, RAW Sports is a non-competitive activity. The group engages in some physical activity early in the day before School and as the first activity on Saturdays.
A non-competitive activity where students do lap swimming for fitness.
This sport has two streams, a competitive group that competes in the Independent schools Table Tennis Competition, plus a non-competitive group. All boys do three sessions across the week.
A relatively new sport at Trinity, Touch Football competes in weekly games against other schools, however, there is no formal competition at a centralised age group venue at this time.
