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I read a recent article for AFL about why the Western Australian AFL teams have prevented interstate recruits returning home. To paraphrase this article the supporters of the WA AFL clubs fully adopt them as their own and they are not former Victorian or South Australians. Case in point is Matthew Pavlich with Chris Judd the exception.
After the NRC there was some conjecture about the Sydney teams not having access to their Super Rugby players.
I would like to highlight three such NSW players stolen from the Shute Shield and imprisoned in Perth with info from my friend Wikipedia
Test Case 1. Pek Cowan - Cowan was born in Wellington, New Zealand but moved with his family to Sydney when he was 13 years of age. He was a young golfing talent with a handicap of four at the age of 15, and won a scholarship with the Long Reef Golf Club. Attending Narrabeen Sports High School, he was selected for the Australian Schoolboys rugby union team in 2003 and 2004.
He moved to Perth to further his rugby career and played for the Nedlands club before signing with the Western Force in 2006. He played for the Perth Spirit in the Australian Rugby Championship in 2007. So Pek has spent NZ 13 years, NSW 6 years and Perth 9 years.
Test Case 2. Tetra Faulkner - Faulkner was born in Tauranga, New Zealand and lived his early years at Te Puna in the Bay of Plenty. At 12 years of age, he moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia. He played his junior rugby at Moorabbin Rams and played age-group representative rugby for Victoria. Faulkner attended Cheltenham Secondary College in Melbourne before transferring to Marist College Canberra. He played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2006.
Tetera Faulkner played club rugby for Tuggeranong Vikings in Canberra from 2007, and joined the Brumby Runners development squad in 2008. In 2010, he transferred to the Southern Districts Rugby Club in Sydney and also played for the Junior Waratahs development side in the Pacific Rugby Cup.
In 2011 Faulkner was recruited to the Western Force to play in the 2012 season. He made an earlier than expected debut when called upon as an injury replacement late in the 2011 Super Rugby season. Faulkner earned his first Super Rugby cap on 17 June 2011, against the Rebels in Melbourne.
Faulkner currently plays his club rugby for Wanneroo Districts Rugby Football Club in Perth, Western Australia.
Test Case 3. Adam Coleman – Coleman was born in Hobart 7 Oct 91 and attended New Town High School in Hobart Tasmania. He represented Tasmania in Under 14's, 16's and 18's. Coleman played under 18s at the national championships and was then selected in the combined states team that lost to Queensland in the final of the division one championship. Coleman was spotted by the ACT Brumbies academy and moved to Canberra in 2010. In 2011 Coleman is selected in the national academy and moves to Sydney to sign with Shute Shield team Parramatta Two Blues. Coleman earned his big break in senior rugby during the 2013 Super Rugby season when he was called up to the Waratahs squad for their match against the Force. The encounter took place during the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia and the Watatahs were ravaged by international call-ups. Nonetheless they were able to triumph 28-13 with Coleman debuting as a 70th-minute substitute for Will Skelton.
He made no further appearances that season, and moved west for 2014 and was named as a member of the Force's extended playing squad
Coleman made his starting debut for the Western Force on Good Friday 18 April 2014 at AAMI Park against the Melbourne Rebels.
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Originally Posted by Emu
