Sydney Catholic Schools alumni Bridget Clark and Dietrich Roache have both made their Olympic dreams come true, taking to the field to represent Australia in Paris in Rugby Sevens.
Clark, 21, makes her Olympic debut this year as part of the trailblazing women’s team that delivered a 40-7 victory over Ireland in the quarter-finals on Monday.
Her foundation was set while she was a student of St Joseph’s Primary, where she competed in the MacKillop Competition in 2011 at the NSW PSSA Athletics Championship.
“At St Joseph’s Oatley my best memories would probably be just being involved in all of the school gala days and getting to try out all different sports with my friends! I played pretty much anything that was available but mostly Oztag, soccer, netball, and athletics,” Clark told The Catholic Weekly.
Her love for sport continued into high school when, in 2017, a star-struck Bridget met Charlotte Caslick, a gold medal Olympian and Rugby Sevens legend. Fast-forward to 2023 and the two are now teammates.
“It means so much to me. I remember watching the Rio 2016 Final and wishing to be there and be an Olympian so it’s so special,” Clark told Rugby.com.au.
“It’s pretty incredible to play with Sharni (Smale) and Charlotte, they were such big role models for me and I still see them as role models,” she added.
As a valued player of the Burraneer Women’s Rugby Club, Bridget was selected by coach Tim Walsh to replace injured players on the national Rugby Seven’s squad.
The timing couldn’t have been better, as this opening in the team gave her an international debut against Hong Kong, in which she delivered a stellar performance.
“The crowd in Hong Kong was so special and to be doing it alongside all the girls who are so supportive and encouraging was a dream come true,” Clark said.
With Australia qualifying for Paris after placing top four in the 2022–23 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, Bridget’s skill could not be denied, and thus she was selected to be a part of the Australian Olympic team.
In an Instagram post announcing her Olympic debut, Clark described in the caption that “This moment is more special than I could have ever imagined.
“Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamed of the opportunity to represent my country on the world’s biggest sporting stage,” she said.
“Words can’t describe how excited I am to give this everything and strive to achieve big things with them.”
Paris 2024 is a follow-up to Patrician Brothers Fairfield alumnus Dietrich Roache’s Tokyo 2021 debut, during which he scored a try in his second match against South Korea.
But Roache’s introduction to Rugby Sevens came later in life, with Rugby League being his bread-and-butter up until the age of 18.
Following his introduction to the sport, Dietrich transferred his League skills into Sevens and shone through, joining the Sydney U18s and NSW U18s teams.
His skill in the game led to a spot on the Australian Youth Sevens team for the 2019 World Schools Sevens tournament, and later a contract with Rugby Australia.
Greg Kane, assistant sports coordinator at Patrician Brothers College (Fairfield) said Roache’s parents didn’t allow him to play League or Union until he was 15, but he made the school’s A grade team the following year.
“He is an extremely talented athlete. Rugby league, Rugby Union 10’s as it was back then, gifted in Athletics -100 metre, 200 metre, A grade Basketball. And most importantly he is a gentleman both on and off the field,” Kane said.
Dietrich scored the most points (343) of any player on the Australian team in the 2021-22 Rugby Sevens World Series, leading Australia to win the competition for the first time.
He also played on the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games team in which he was the youngest in the squad.
The men’s Rugby Sevens competition was held early at Paris 2024, with Australia finishing in fourth place, losing 26-19 to South Africa in the bronze medal playoff.
Dietrich was the top scorer on the team with a total of 24 points, including tries against Fiji and Argentina.
Declan Donohue, Manager of Sport for Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) is excited for the Paris Olympics, especially “considering that SCS now has five alumni [in addition to Roache] who will be competing at the Olympics or Paralympics in Paris. Bridget Clark (Rugby 7’s) joins alumni Grace Young (Hockey), Se-Bom Lee, Olivia Wunsch, and Holly Warn (Swimming).”