The future of WA rugby

[westies man]

It is hard to maintain optimism when a cone of silence has descended over the IPRC, Rugby WA etc..

Perhaps Wayne Smith of The Australian was right after all: If the ARU ... choose to cut the Western Force, rugby union is dead in Western Australia. This is the nuclear option. Nothing will ever grow there again, in rugby terms. It will become a wasteland ...".

What a load of wank, club rugby is still here and always will be. The professional arm is gone so move on

[westies man]

There's a Perth boy in that Nudgee First XV only in Year 10 Raesjan Potia. Already kicks off two steps off the tee. Parents travel across the country to watch him play.

Are you sure, never heard of him.

[chibi]

Conspiracy theory hat on, but I've always felt that Perth was lined up for extinction once the Rebels were brought in. They were a pointless addition from a rugby standpoint; but if the philosophy was that they weren't really going to expand the game, but that they just wanted another floundering franchise in a big city, then they may as well have it in Melbourne, rather than here.

[Bakkies]

Are you sure, never heard of him.

Yes, found the correct spelling Raejan Passitoa he has a Tongan dad. Nudgee take boarders at a young age. Has a very good step on the outside. Hopefully when he gets out of school there is a pro team in Perth.

[mothy]

Although, I agree Westie that super rugby has now past us by moving on is part of the danger and it is up to club rugby more than ever to promote themselves and get in the public eye. As anyone on here I can’t speak for others, but I personally grew up playing aussie rules and following the bulldogs in the WAFL this maybe where I move on to. The wallabies and then the Force encouraged me to watch an outstanding sport. Saying this I may go down to Kalamunda if i’m welcome which i’m sure I would be to watch a game since it would be the closest team to where I live.
Correct me if i’m wrong we’ve been dealt a rough hand, but it will be club rugby’s responsibility now to promote the game aggressively to capture people imaginations and lure those who followed the Force to become involved in local rugby before they all disperse to other sports.
Hansie - is onto this as far as I know and what I have read on here. The biggest problem rugby always faced is the disinterest from local media which has been Luke warm at best. We really need to break that nutshell to promote the game to the general public. With a pro team it was having some effect to the growth of the game. Rugby won’t be dead, but will it thrive without a representive team only time will tell.

[westies man]

Try Reesjan Pasitoa ,not anything too special.

[Bakkies]

Conspiracy theory hat on, but I've always felt that Perth was lined up for extinction once the Rebels were brought in. They were a pointless addition from a rugby standpoint; but if the philosophy was that they weren't really going to expand the game, but that they just wanted another floundering franchise in a big city, then they may as well have it in Melbourne, rather than here.

That's what the marketing gurus don't get about Rugby. It's unique that you don't have to be based in a big city to be successful. Munster, Crusaders, Leicester and Toulon are good examples. They all have strong community support that has a connection to the players.

The Brumbies housed their players in an apartment block across from the Kingston shops so the locals got to bump into the players regularly and they were able to ride their bikes to training. The players had to clean up after training. The Rebels never really had that and I always got the sense that there was a divide between the senior and the much younger players which even Macqueen couldn't fix. It all came to a head when they signed Beale and O'Connor.

I have always said that if you put a team in Melbourne it has to be successful from day one you have to have the money and the right players to ensure that people are aware of the team and that they are winning. Melbourne never had that despite the likes of Ross Oakley, Macqueen and Harold Mitchell being involved. Rugby was also on the nose in Australia and the NZRU should have said no not now. They were also very slow with their recruitment and you could see from the list that it was an unbalanced squad with too many old players that would be out the gap within two years. Too much to rebuild and the foreign players would have to go as well.

[JSJ]

That's what the marketing gurus don't get about Rugby. It's unique that you don't have to be based in a big city to be successful. Munster, Crusaders, Leicester and Toulon are good examples. They all have strong community support that has a connection to the players.

The Brumbies housed their players in an apartment block across from the Kingston shops so the locals got to bump into the players regularly and they were able to ride their bikes to training. The players had to clean up after training. The Rebels never really had that and I always got the sense that there was a divide between the senior and the much younger players which even Macqueen couldn't fix. It all came to a head when they signed Beale and O'Connor.

I have always said that if you put a team in Melbourne it has to be successful from day one you have to have the money and the right players to ensure that people are aware of the team and that they are winning. Melbourne never had that despite the likes of Ross Oakley, Macqueen and Harold Mitchell being involved. Rugby was also on the nose in Australia and the NZRU should have said no not now. They were also very slow with their recruitment and you could see from the list that it was an unbalanced squad with too many old players that would be out the gap within two years. Too much to rebuild and the foreign players would have to go as well.

Melbourne fans are not going to be emotionally aligned to a team with 12 ex-Force players and most of the rest coming Qld, Nsw, Fiji or England. Here today, gone next year. Very few Melbourne boys.
Perth fans really started to own their team and follow them through thick and thin, when you had the Haylett Petty boys, Hardwick, Louwrens, Scoble, Rona, Peni etc who went to school in Perth and whose family and friends following them. Then you had Ruru, Rangi, Koteka and others who came through the Perth club rugby and worked in Perth, before becoming Force players. Some of our original imports like Hodgo, Pek Cowan, and McCalman have been here so long that Perth is now their home.

[volvo]

Melbourne fans are not going to be emotionally aligned to a team with 12 ex-Force players and most of the rest coming Qld, Nsw, Fiji or England. Here today, gone next year. Very few Melbourne boys.
Perth fans really started to own their team and follow them through thick and thin, when you had the Haylett Petty boys, Hardwick, Louwrens, Scoble, Rona, Peni etc who went to school in Perth and whose family and friends following them. Then you had Ruru, Rangi, Koteka and others who came through the Perth club rugby and worked in Perth, before becoming Force players. Some of our original imports like Hodgo, Pek Cowan, and McCalman have been here so long that Perth is now their home.

Just a quick correction. Kane Koteka was born in Perth and was schooled here in perth at Aranmore College with Peni and Rona.

[Bakkies]

Although, I agree Westie that super rugby has now past us by moving on is part of the danger and it is up to club rugby more than ever to promote themselves and get in the public eye. As anyone on here I can’t speak for others, but I personally grew up playing aussie rules and following the bulldogs in the WAFL this maybe where I move on to. The wallabies and then the Force encouraged me to watch an outstanding sport. Saying this I may go down to Kalamunda if i’m welcome which i’m sure I would be to watch a game since it would be the closest team to where I live.
Correct me if i’m wrong we’ve been dealt a rough hand, but it will be club rugby’s responsibility now to promote the game aggressively to capture people imaginations and lure those who followed the Force to become involved in local rugby before they all disperse to other sports.
Hansie - is onto this as far as I know and what I have read on here. The biggest problem rugby always faced is the disinterest from local media which has been Luke warm at best. We really need to break that nutshell to promote the game to the general public. With a pro team it was having some effect to the growth of the game. Rugby won’t be dead, but will it thrive without a representive team only time will tell.

Castle said she will meet with Twiggy in January but unfortunately de Clyne will be present like a bad smell.

[Alison]

Clyne is the one with all the power, not Castle.

[Bakkies]

At least she is turning up unlike that coward Pulver who didn't meet Twiggy in Adelaide. Pulver couldn't even get his lies straight when get questioned by the Senators as he was relying on second hand information from that other serial liar de Clyne.

[JSJ]

Just a quick correction. Kane Koteka was born in Perth and was schooled here in perth at Aranmore College with Peni and Rona.

I did not know that. Thanks.

[Darkness]

Some of our original imports like Hodgo, Pek Cowan, and McCalman have been here so long that Perth is now their home.

Bollocks. Ben will return to Warren. Why do you say this shit when you have no idea.

[Hansie]

Mothy, Kalla would absolutely love your support. Club and community Rugby will continue and if we can keep the enthusiasm going I have no doubt Club Rugby here will also grow to the point where we have around 500 spectators watching each weekend game. There is no reason that collaboratively with the Future Force high performance guys we can grow our own and be ready in 2021 with a team made up of majority if not all WA home grown players. Engagement with community clubs is crucial and people will come to watch the Dickies, Koteka's, Haylett - Pettys. ronas, Peni etc etc play.

I reckon we should try and get us all over to Melbourne wearing our Force gear for their first home game. Imagine 500 of us in the stadium in Blue chanting F-O-R-C-E????