Trinity-St Michael’s Intercol Preview 2023

Boys Basketball:
Boys basketball is the only original Intercol sport that St Michael’s has not won. The last two Intercols have been 40-point blowouts, but the two before that, where Trinity’s teams were at their most talented, were single digit games, including a heart-stopping buzzer beater the year Trinity finished third in the nation. Intercol does funny things… St Michael’s went down to Div 2 this year, yet ironically have their most competitive team in recent memory. They have a young and talented group emerging and won their way through to a Div 2 Grand Final. Trinity made the A1 final and will still go in favourites, but the gap is officially closing . . . FAST.
Prediction: Trinity

Girls Basketball:
St Michael’s are stacked this year with state and national talent, and are through to the final four in the state. They’re quick and aggressive, and pose all sorts of problems to opposition ball handlers. When the two teams matched up in the early rounds of knockout this term, St Mick’s won by 20, but Trinity was missing its best player. Trinity would be confident of making up some ground this time around. If Trinity can make it a half-court game, St Michael’s will have to shoot well. They’re capable, but it’s not their natural habitat. But like the boys basketball, the favourites are still the favourites.
Prediction: St Michael’s

Boys Football:
Fresh off a Div 2 Grand Final game at the Adelaide Oval, Trinity will be looking to cap off their great season with a win in ‘the other grand final’ – Intercol. The two teams played a thriller in the minor rounds of the A2 comp back in June, but haven’t seen each other since. Their respective results against other opponents have been remarkably similar, and on paper, there seems to be very little separating the two teams. In the nine years Intercol has been running, St Michael’s has won five, and Trinity four. Trinity has taken the last two. This is the most competitive of all Intercol sports, and each game provides a fitting end to the Intercol schedule. This game looms and another classic. St Michael’s is due. The week off for St Mick’s whilst Trinity played in the SAAS GF will do one of two things, it’ll freshen them up, or allow rust to settle in. Let’s hope the salty seaside Henley air aides the latter.
Prediction: Trinity (just)

Girls Football
This is another tall mountain for the Trinity girls to climb. St Michael’s finished runner-up in the state last week, and have been a state power for a number of years, and particularly recently, winning two state championships in the last four years. That being said, the two teams have played twice this year in the Wednesday afternoon competition, where Trinity pushed them both times. The most recent game at the end of term 2 was decided by just 11 points. The most exciting thing about that is Trinity has almost no Year 12’s. Our group has a very exciting future, and has been creeping up on St Michael’s further each time. Could Intercol be the tipping point?
Prediction: St Michael’s

Girls Netball:
Trinity has won the last five Intercol matchups – the second-longest streak of all sports. Trinity’s Open Girls, however, are not as strong this season, and have failed to find their best form, losing in the second round of knockout. St Michael’s on the other hand, won through to the state’s final-six with a blowout win and look to be rolling. The state finals day is Aug 29th, next week, and St Michael’s will treat it one of two ways – protect their girls from injury a week before the state finals, or use Intercol to sharpen their blade and bring their full arsenal and get back on the winning end against their Intercol partner. If they’re gamers, they’ll load up, and Trinity will be in for a tough day.
Prediction: St Michael’s

Boys Soccer:
Like the Girls Netball, Trinity has amassed a five-game Intercol win-streak. That doesn’t do justice to the competitiveness of the boys soccer Intercol. It NEVER disappoints. The two soccer powers always put on a show, and historically, it’s always the most tension-filled. The two teams played a nil-all draw in the SAAS A1 season back in June, and no-one seems to be able to put St Mick’s away. They played eventual champions CBC to a 2-2 draw a few weeks back, and were unlucky not to be in the finals. It was Trinity who snuck in, and had CBC in trouble, only to fall 4-3 in the semi final. What does that all mean? Forget the five-game Intercol streak, it’s game-on in Intercol ’23! Must-see as always.
Prediction: Extra time, penalty shootout. Trinity 😉