Chloe Oates, Jack Catanzariti, Andrew Noad, Lachlan Condon and Megan Polkinghorne after their 2008 triumph. Photo: Supplied.
Ron Barassi. Ricky Stuart. Megan Polkinghorne.
There aren’t many athletes who get to win the same sporting championship as both a coach and a player, but a Griffith physiotherapist has joined an elite list of names.
In 2008, Megan Polkinghorne was part of the Griffith East Public School team that became the state’s number one primary school at tennis by winning the annual Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) knockout tournament.
It’s rare for an inland rural school to overpower the coastal teams that dominate the PSSA and no Riverina team had won the title since then. That is, until this year, when an East Griffith squad coached by Ms Polkinghorne beat Gunnedah South Public School in the final.
“It’s super exciting. I’ve been training some of the team since they were six years old. We’ve been working towards getting a good school team together and to develop them as individuals for tournaments outside the school settings,” Ms Polkinghorne said.
Nirvair Singh, Mia Noad, Younis El Dady and Amelia Trefilo were the winning team of East Griffith students who have also been coached by Andrew Noad, Danny Dossetor and Cheryl Rawle.
As a player, Ms Polkinghorne won the title in 2007 and 2008, alongside Chloe Oates, Jack Catanzariti and Lachlan Condon. East Griffith teacher Andrew Noad was the coach back then too.
“Noady coached me from age four to 18. Then I started coaching Mia when she was six and Nirvair when he was seven, so we’ve come full circle. Maybe Mia and Nirvair will coach my kids one day,” she joked.
Megan has coached Mia and Nirvair since they were six and seven, respectively. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Year 6 student Mia Noad, who comfortably won her set in the final, has the privilege of being coached by her own father Andrew. But when it comes to playing styles, she said there’s one key difference between daughter and dad.
“I can run and he can’t,” Mia said.
Ms Polkinghorne was 12 when she last won the title as a player. She is now 29 and running her own physiotherapy business in town. She said the triumphs in 2025 and 2008 couldn’t have been more different.
“This year, the final was best of eight sets but Griffith East wrapped it up in six matches, winning 5-1,” Ms Polkinghorne said.
“They won convincingly in the final, which is very rare. For my team back in 2008, it was nail-biting; it came down to the last set.
“Things were very different back in that era. There were a lot more children playing tennis in the town back in 2008. Kids would sleep on clubroom floors and we’d do the rounds of all the tournaments.
“Now, they’ve got a smaller core group who have worked hard to achieve so much.”
Megan as a child prodigy with coach Andrew Noad. Photo: Supplied.
Megan also comes from a famous sporting family. Her mum Robyn (nee Belford) was a former squash champion once ranked 13 in the world.
“I’ve actually never played squash; Mum said it would ruin my tennis swing,” Megan said.
For more information of playing or being coached in tennis, message the Griffith Tennis Club Facebook page.
