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Thread: Country Rugby Development

  1. #1
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    Country Rugby

    As we head into a new era in Western Australian Rugby, what are the steps required to build on the small but solid rugby foundations in country WA? Some of the things said below may already be in place so I'd love to hear back if that is already the case.
    By my reckoning there are eleven clubs in Country WA.
    There is also a rep team put together annually in Geraldton.
    I'm not sure if there is any rugby in the North West but think there used to be a comp in Karratha some years ago?
    The Clubs I am aware of are:

    South West Comp-
    Collie
    Dunsborough
    Leeuwin Margaret River

    Great Southern Comp-
    Albany
    Denmark
    Katanning
    Mt Barker
    Narrogin/Dryandra

    Eastern Goldfields-
    Boulder
    Bushwackers
    Kambalda
    Stormers
    WA School of Mines

    Would it be possible for the Premier Clubs to "adopt" a country club each and, with Rugby WA's financial assistance, have a mutually beneficial relationship with their country cousin?
    Support could be by way of equipment donation, coaching, pre-season games, career pathing/ feeder club etc.
    Let us know if steps are already being carried out.

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    Last edited by Burgs; 01-12-06 at 15:04.

  2. #2
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    Found online, will be a great weekend for country rugby supporters to catch up.
    Hopefully the Force can have a presence there.

    The Country Carnival contested annually between teams based in country areas of Western Australia.
    In 2006 the carnival is planned to be held in Geraldton over the period 3-4 June 2006.
    The Carnival utilises the Foundation Day Weekend to assist teams in travelling from places including Albany, Kalgoorlie and Margaret River.
    More details to come soon.

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  3. #3
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    Country (as in north west) rugby was great until a few years ago. Newman used to have four teams, which gave a great comp. Also each year there was a Kiwi/Aussie game to make things interesting. But now the best we can do is to stay up to after midnight to see any but test action.

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    G'day Junaben, welcome aboard.
    How competitive was the quality compared to other rugby you've seen?
    Do you know of other towns that used to have teams?
    I seem to recall a comp in Karratha a few years back.
    Any thoughts on why the teams folded, town decline etc?
    A four team comp in a WA town is a pretty good effort, a great shame that it finished.

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    The main reasons that Newman Rugby closed was- 1.That the mine stopped sports leave(2 hours off shift to play sport), 2. Alot of people left town. I remember playing Karratha, but not sure how many teams they had. Many people were very disappointed with the clubs closures. The Kiwi/Aussie game is still held, but without the comp the standard is not what it was.

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    Are there many well-known names who originate from country areas?

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    There would be few over the years who have done well in Perth Chief, but the only one I know of from station country who went on a bit would be Tim Meacham from over near Carnarvon. His "career" was through playing with Uni though rather than country rugby. That said however, many of the PSA teams are built around boarders. In my time at boarding school the main reason for that was that many of the kids came to Perth having not played much Aussie Rules so were able to start rugger on a level footing to the other kids. So there is a source of youth in Perth rugby. In country rugby I'm sure there are better reporters than me because it is mainly in the South of the state and in Kalgoorlie.
    If the standard of country rugby lifted I'm sure there would be more go on with it as there are plenty of kids who grow up throwing calves and generally are pretty big and muscley for their age from physical work. There is certainly a good proportion of Rep players from country NSW and Qld which could prove to be an indicator of potential in the bush.

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  8. #8
    Burgs

    Sorry - I tend to wander

    There has been some tentative work between metro and country clubs. Kala has provided spare jerseys for juniors down south and has end of season and preseason trips to country teams. We also normally have our colts play a combined goldfields team at the end of the season.

    Best trips away are playing the Dungbeatles.

    I don't know what the other clubs do.

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    ... on the 6th day God played rugby and on the 7th day he rested, because he was sore and a little hungover.

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    Good to hear that the first steps have been made, even if only by one Club it's still a good example that things can happen to benefit both parties.
    Trying to get some info out of a couple of mates involved with Geraldton rugby scene but they are proving to be a little hard to get to contribute as yet.

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    Have brought the below announcement across from the Commonwealth Games thread for continuity etc.
    Depending on the starting date of the Perth Comps, this tournament may be a good preseason trip for some of the bigger clubs?

    Mt Barker 10's Competition

    15/4/2006 - Souness Oval Mt Barker

    Mt Barker is proud to announce that it will hold a 10 a side competition over the Easter Long Weekend in 2006. With the success of the inaugural competition in 2005 the Great Southern Rugby Union is planning to hold the event on an annual basis.

    Six teams from the South West and the Great Southern competed in 2005. With Dunsborough and Margaret River playing in the final with Margaret River being the inaugural winners.

    Afterwards all players and officials attended the presentations followed by a buffet meal and some cold refreshments at the Plantagenet Hotel.

    Mitch Hardy from RugbyWA attended, as did Ray Mills from WACRU. Mitch even managed to have a run with a few of the sides.

    The Great Southern Rugby Union is keen to open an invitation to all clubs to compete in 2006. Clubs from all competitions are welcome to attend but we would also like to remind teams of the social aspects of such an event.

    Mount Barker is situated 50 kms north of Albany and is part of one of the most picturesque regions in WA. We have plenty of good quality wineries, bushwalks and scenery for you to enjoy while you are visiting.

    Accommodation is available in town with rooms in the pub, a motel, a caravan park and plenty of B&B's.

    Clubs are urged to contact either:

    Andrew Shaw at bullandsuz@bigpond.com

    Or

    Danny Lea at danny.lea@rugbywa.com.au

    for more information or expressions of interest

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  11. #11
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    North West Rugby

    You make some valid points Burgs.
    I have played Country rugby for 2 years and Perth Comp for eight years. Having more support for country rugby is always a good thing. The team i use 8) d to play for in the goldfields( ELTIN'S) folded some years ago. With more support from the big smoke, perhaps it would still be going.
    I can inform you that there is much support for rugby in the north west. I have recently started working on the mines in Newman and recently played in a fundraiseing match of Trans Tasman proportions - AKA "the bloody Slow Cup" We (the Aussies) got trounced by a much more physical and experienced Kiwi side.
    The town has approxiamately 4000 population. The night the match was held drew a crowd of approxiamately 750 people. Not a bad effort for a town where they have only been exposed to Aussie rules and a bit of League.
    Needless to day i think there will definitely be one, maybe two teams from Newman in next years country carnival ( being held in Geraldton i think).
    There is plenty of support for the game from the North west from both players and supporters alike. We just need to be given the opportunity to play in more games.
    Quote Originally Posted by Burgs
    As we head into a new era in Western Australian Rugby, what are the steps required to build on the small but solid rugby foundations in country WA? Some of the things said below may already be in place so I'd love to hear back if that is already the case.
    By my reckoning there are eleven clubs in Country WA.
    There is also a rep team put together annually in Geraldton.
    I'm not sure if there is any rugby in the North West but think there used to be a comp in Karratha some years ago?
    The Clubs I am aware of are:

    South West Comp-
    Dryandra Narrogin
    Dunsborough
    Leeuwin Margaret River

    Great Southern Comp-
    Albany
    Denmark
    Mt Barker

    Eastern Goldfields-
    Boulder
    Bushwackers
    Kambalda
    Stormers
    WA School of Mines

    Would it be possible for the Premier Clubs to "adopt" a country club each and, with Rugby WA's financial assistance, have a mutually beneficial relationship with their country cousin?
    Support could be by way of equipment donation, coaching, pre-season games, career pathing/ feeder club etc.
    Let us know if steps are already being carried out.

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  12. #12
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    G'day Gribbo, welcome to the side and thanks for the input.
    Perhaps you can let the board know with a bit of notice when the next Aus v NZ Newman fixture is because I know of at least three of us near enough to travel and watch for the day.
    Any rugby is good rugby, especially when you're out in the bush!
    Do you think the interest is in Newman now to start up the comp again as Junaben described above?
    The Country Carnival is indeed in Geraldton next year, the Foundation Day long weekend of the 3rd and 4th of June.
    Although my playing days are probably well gone I hope to get down there and see the quality of the comp.
    Might be an opening there for a bit of radio input Number 8? A few interviews and a commentary of the final perhaps?
    Maybe a TWF road trip could be arranged in time for that Coach?
    Perhaps you could give us a bit more of a description of the Goldfields rugby comp Gribbo? How did it compare to your Perth experience, depth of players at each club etc.

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  13. #13
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    When you go through the profiles of the Wallaby and Provincial teams and see how many players come from country NSW and Qld RugbyWA must start pushing the standard of the sport in country areas.
    It is basically an untapped resource in WA rugby with most country players purely involved for the social and fitness aspects. A good junior structure would really help to get these kids to the standard required when they go to boarding school or choose to go to Perth for club rugby.
    It's great to see how many Development Officers that RugbyWA have appointed though and hopefully they will be heading bush regularly for clinics etc.

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  14. #14
    The difference between WA and NSW and QLD is the number of people in the "bush"

    A 10% increase in playing numbers in country WA looks good as a statistic however in actual numbers and quality it wouldn't rate much at all.

    There was some firey debate last year about how much money should be spent on country vs metro rugby. Like I said a 10% return in either region equates to a greater numeric return in the metro area.

    The funding from the RWC has seen a large proportion go into development for country rugby. I believe we really need to be targeting regions that are not based around boom and bust type rural economies with transient populations. Mandurah and the rest of the south west would be the better bang for your buck. $0.02 worth.

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    ... on the 6th day God played rugby and on the 7th day he rested, because he was sore and a little hungover.

  15. #15
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    I agree with what you're saying re return on investment Redbull however I am refering to the likes of Mandurah, Bunbury, Kalgoorlie etc in the "bush".
    The original premise of the thread was assumed that Rugby WA aren't going to ignore the country, so how best to get development and increased player numbers. With the growth in rugby in WA this doesn't have to mean it comes at the expense of development in the city.
    As I've mentioned earlier, one great source of players being "lost" to WA rugby is the boarder portion of the PSA Schools 1st XV's. These are some genuinely good players that Perth rugby has never seen and have now passed the age to be able to continue on. How do we make sure that the opportunity is there for the likes of these players to play meaningful rugby in their development years (ie Colts etc) without having to move to the city and away from their homes?
    I would think that if there was perhaps five hubs of improved competition developed around Great Southern, South West, Goldfields (Kalgoorlie), Mid West (basically Geraldton) and North West (Pilbara) with some decent resources then we may get a suprise as to the hidden talent in the bush.
    With regard to transient workers, assumably as one moves out then one moves in, the mind set just needs to adjust to accomodate the numbers rather than the individuals. The killer for mining towns have been the change in shift structures rather than the turnover of staff.
    However, even forgetting about the northern component, there must be some decent players getting around in the existing southern unions with Kiwi expats in Kalgoorlie etc just needing a bit more investment and development to lift the standard around them?
    It could also be argued that the same dollar can achieve a lot more in the country as you are starting from a much lower infrastructure and equipment base and therefore it is the more basic things that are required.
    Surely with the lift in profile of the sport in Perth the sponsorship dollar for Premier and A clubs must be raising in value to cover a bigger margin of annual expenses?

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