By Adam Cooper
November 27th 2009 @ 12:54am
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Vic Wallabies excited for Melbourne rugby
Former Wallabies Joe Roff and David Fitter say Melbourne’s entry into an expanded Super 15 competition could make the city one of the biggest producers of Australian rugby players.
The pair, both from Victoria, joined former Australian captain Mark Ella and other guests at a luncheon on Thursday to commemorate 100 years of the Victorian Rugby Union and the Melbourne Rebels’ pending entry into the Super 15.
Fitter said the size and make-up of Melbourne’s population and its passion for sport made it an untapped well of rugby talent, which would come to the fore in 2011, when the new team enters the competition.
“I’m born and bred here so I know I’m biased, but I was lucky enough to have the privilege of playing for Australia and I’ve played with and against some of the best in the world and seen models in rugby of what works and what doesn’t,” he said.
“But I believe that in time there’s nothing that can stop Melbourne being the major rugby union in the country.
“It’s a big city, it’s the sporting capital of the country and there’s nothing that can’t say that we can’t be the best in the country. The opportunity’s here.”
Fitter was forced interstate to pursue an elite rugby career but he and Roff, who was born in Heathcote in country Victoria but made his name with the ACT Brumbies, believe Melbourne’s team will keep players in the state and make the game prosper.
“Absolutely. The player base here will be larger than the player base in the ACT and we (the Brumbies) draw a lot of our talent from the local competition,” Roff said.
“Putting in place the right structure to nurture that talent is going to be the key.
“The young Victorian guys who are with the Australian schools (team), they should be aiming to be the foundation players for the Victorian side … the talent is there.”
Ella admitted he was sceptical of Australia’s ability to spread talent across five sides, but said the time was right to look to the future given the Wallabies’ current woes.
“From what I’ve seen lately, maybe we need new blood coming through,” he said.
Ella and Fitter said the Rebels – Melbourne’s working name – should be granted concessions to have up to 10 internationals in their initial squad, with a plan to water that down in following seasons.
Roff said putting an emphasis on attractive, free-flowing rugby was a key to the Rebels capturing a share of the public’s support in Melbourne given the city’s AFL infatuation.
“You have to play attractive to draw those fans in, for them to come in and say `Yeah, that’s entertainment’,” he said.
“That can be as important as winning.
“If it was me I’d rather go and see my team lose 39-36 to the Crusaders than win 6-3 in a dour match.
“That has to be a part of what’s this new team’s about.”
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ps can anyone tell me why rugby in NZ is so dominant and played across all strata of society and in Oz it is mainly a preppy...
Go_the_Wannabe's said | November 27th 2009 @ 10:58am | Report comment
“If it was me I’d rather go and see my team lose 39-36 to the Crusaders than win 6-3 in a dour match”.
Tottenham beat Wigan 9-1 playing soccer, outscoring the Wannabe’s by a point on the weekend.
So why can’t the governing bodies get it right and create a game that entertains and still remains faithful to the rugby stalwarts?
The NH are finally conceding that there’s an elephant in the room.
There’s a couple of good articles at timesonline that everyone should read:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6932581.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/owen_slot/article6929501.ece
Lets hope they put an end to the game of “whistle ball” and bring back runnin’ rugby sometime soon.
Republican said | November 27th 2009 @ 11:11am | Report comment
Joe Roff is not a Melbourne Union product!
I trust this type of misleading hyperbole is not what we can expect from the cringing Union fraternity in that city, as they embark on Super Status.
He grew up in Canberra attending Marist College Pearce where he learnt Union. If he had not migrated to Canberra at a very young age he would never have realised such sporting hieghts.
Cheers
slagger knocker said | November 27th 2009 @ 3:03pm | Report comment
You can’t pee like a puppy if you want to run with the big dogs! eh republican.
Brett McKay said | November 27th 2009 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
it’s a tenous link in the headline for sure, Republican, but in some defence of the article, it does say “..and Roff, who was born in Heathcote in country Victoria but made his name with the ACT Brumbies…” They’re just not letting the facts (eg, living in Canberra most of his life) get in the way of a good story.
But in truth, the Vics are going to need to make these types of tenous links to help the good people of Melbourne know that future Wallabies can be born in Victoria. If they happen to snare Ioane and Elsom, it’ll get way worse than this (think headlines about “coming home” and “prodigal sons” just for signing announcements).
At its worst, it’s slightly stretching the truth, and at its best, it’s brilliant marketing. I don’t think it’s a massive problem…
Pippinu said | November 27th 2009 @ 3:33pm | Report comment
Republican
I agree with Brett – the headline refers to Vic rather than Melbourne – and the article makes it clear what Roff’s past is – it’s not really that big of a stretch – and they were in Melbourne promoting the new club – and I think we all know about promotion in our domestic comps!!!!
Republican said | November 27th 2009 @ 4:16pm | Report comment
It’s also a huge stretch of the facts and creates a false expectation perhaps.
I believe there is alot of damage being perpetrated on our culture in the name of ‘brilliant marketing’ which seems to assume a dispensation of sorts as far as honesty goes these days.
i will do my best to keep these pretenders honest Brett as far as any ensueing Vic Union chest thumping on Roar goes.
Cheers
Brett McKay said | November 27th 2009 @ 7:13pm | Report comment
It’s a stretch, yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s a huge stretch though.
Keep them honest, by all means Republican, but there’s far more important things in rugby to worry about than this. Your concerns about declining numbers for eg, especially if your thoughts and opinions on the matter gain supporting evidence, is an obvious worry.
Republican said | November 27th 2009 @ 4:28pm | Report comment
Pippinu
You are merely defending you home turf mate I understand that.
I don’t believe this has been done with honorable intent and as it turns out it isn’t even that subtle.
What about your Doggies going to NZ in 2011? Two home games for a mill and at the expedience of the ACT and NT. This cringe element that has infiltrated our national game looks like it’s gathering momentum.
i reckon a relocation to the land of the long slow pizzle might be in the offing for those westies heading east!
Ooroo
Pippinu said | November 27th 2009 @ 5:34pm | Report comment
Republican
Yes – it was puzzling to put it mildly.
Who can predict where it will all end – by that time – we’ll both be dead.
AndyS said | November 27th 2009 @ 5:05pm | Report comment
I’m not sure you haven’t just made the articles point Rep. Roff was a kid from country Vic that went to the ACT and ultimately played for the Wallabies. Had his family stayed put he almost certainly wouldn’t have, but now that Victoria has a team it is much more likely and the team has the potential to tap rugby talent that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.
bever fever said | November 27th 2009 @ 6:04pm | Report comment
Eventually Australia will have the best team in the world without doubt, but by the time every kiwi, white saffa and pacific islander migrates here there will be no-one to play.
There is no doubt in my mind that expats run rugby in Perth and without them it would hardly exist.
I went to a RU orientated school in Canberra and find it a bit of a joke that they call it the running game, a lot would need to change for it to grab my interest.
I am sure that the new team in MNelbourne will have its supporters but as the article suggests- if they play the same old rugby that is dished up ATM they aint gunna get new ones.
SA can play boring , NZ can play boring because they dont have other football codes that quite simply are more entertaining and open.
I would much prefer to watch league out of the 2 rugby’s as much for its entertainment as for its IMO much more part of quintesential Australiana than the rah rah English game.
Which brings me to another point – how has rugby in this country become such a catholic boys school game?.
Friday couple of schooners rant over.
gomelb said | November 27th 2009 @ 6:43pm | Report comment
Just a couple of points.
“SA can play boring , NZ can play boring because they dont have other football codes that quite simply are more entertaining and open.” Would that be the same NZ that just qualified for the soccer world cup and are rugby league world champions? and SA that is hosting the soccer world cup? yes not alot happening there!
Yes Roff is a massive stretch as would Elsom be…however Digby played all his junior union and league here in Melbourne until 15. As did christian Lealiifano-Brumbies (completed school here), John Ulugia-Brumbies (completed school here), Tala Gray-australian 7’s(completed school here), Ben Tapuai-Reds, Lloyd Johanson-Viadana, Ole Avei-Waikato not bad for the last 6 years. Add to that the 10 other Australian schoolboys we’ve had over that same 6 years while still living in Victoria and 5-6 having moved inter state reaching the same level…good position to start from probably better than Force and quite possibly close to the Brumbies starting point. Compare that to WA and ACT over the last 6 years….no use being a big dog pissing if you can’t back it up!
Brett McKay said | November 27th 2009 @ 7:06pm | Report comment
Gomelb, I’m of the opinion that the Vics should make every link they can – tenuous or direct – with current and former professional rugby players in Australia, in a bid to promote the “home grown” nature of the game in Victoria. The best way the Rebels to gain acceptance is for people in Melbourne to be made aware of the long history of the game in Victoria, including and current and former Wallabies, and any Vic-born/bred/visited/relocated Super rugby players currently running around.
Christian Lealiifano would be a handy pick-up by the way, the sort of player you could build a team around. Market the bloody heck out of the fact he made the Aust Schoolboys from Melbourne – twice!
I actually don’t have any problem with Fitter and Roffy being labelled as “Victorian” Wallabies. Yes, it’s a stretch, but they are Wallabies, and they are for all intents and purposes Victorians too. The locals need to be able to associate with past and current champions, and if this is a way of doing it, then well and good.
There’s far, far, faaaaaaarr bigger problems in Australian rugby that the Rebels using some “creative’ marketing…
Republican said | November 27th 2009 @ 7:41pm | Report comment
gomelb
Alot of Kiwi names in your Vic honour board list mate. i wonder how many of them learnt their trade in Melbourne. I reckon all those blokes were of PI or Kiwi heritage with a dad and mum who gifted them the rudiments through their DNA.
Your right however about the VicSchool boys cred of late. The Brumby’s have been working hard in developing Vic GR over the last 5 – 6 years while the ACT historical pedigree is all but a thing of the past. This is a very interesting shift because the Aust Footy GR are growing significantly in size and quality in the ACT while Vics are in decline.
Bever fever is correct in his observation that expat Saffas and Kiwis have kept the game of Union alive in Oz especially in WA and now Vic, certainly the Storms patronage is predominately PI and Kiwi.
Beverfever, I have often asked myself the same question with regard Catholic Colleges being the backbone of Union in this country. Many of these colleges were Irish orders as well, which is a contradiction in itself. I know that the same can be said of the game in Argy where Unions strength can be attributed to the Irish Catholic bros influence throughout their colleges also.
I also attended a ra ra College in Canberra, St Eddies and although I hated to play the game, preferring Aust Footy, I didn’t mind watching the First XV do battle from time to time and still get down to the old school to watch a bit of schools ra ra when I can. I think you are an old Darra man are you not?
Cheers
bever fever said | November 28th 2009 @ 7:36pm | Report comment
Yes i am a Dara boy and did play a few seasons of rugger in my pre-teenage years.
It has always struck me as odd that priests from Ireland would have their schools play an English game, league has always struck me as a much more irish game to play.
By Irish i mean far more working class ( Sydney working class)- maybe as australians of irish ancestry worked their way up in wealth and education and intergrated with non-catholics etc they took on English games, and if their colleges could play a game against the best grammar schools and win …. prestige was theirs.
Of course i have always associated aussie rules as a more predominatly catholic game but i dont think this is the case australia wide but growing up in Canberra aussie rules was mainly played by kids from catholic schools as was rugby leaving government schools to league.
BTW i do remember a convo we had about irish influence in aussie rules and specifically about catholic clubs such as Collingwood, Richmond etc, i had a bit of a read and found there was a hurling club around the 1880s that operated out of Collingwood so the irish influence their goes back a long way, possibly a lot longer than i thought.
Republican said | November 27th 2009 @ 7:57pm | Report comment
Brett
I have evidenced this by highlighting the shrinking number of players from the ACT with Aust Schools representative honors over the past five years or more. This is fairly compelling in showing the shrinking of quality and numbers from the once strong Union heartland as well as a continued reliance on the code in the region on these two nurseries, St Eddies and Marist Bros for their GR’s despite a decade of the Brumby’s being in Canberra. These two schools are entering less teams each season as are junior clubs across the ACT from what I have been told by parents who are involved in the game at that level.
Does this not ring warning bells for you Brett?
I can’t vouch for the rest of the country but the non Union demos are going through a honeymoon period I expect, showing small growth but overall Union is not travelling well here in Oz and a Victorian presence aint’t gonna change that one iota.
slagger knocker said | November 28th 2009 @ 1:37am | Report comment
No mystery there republican. British deceit and treachery have bitten deep into the Irish soul, rugger is the perfect diversion for the resultant animus. Mankind will not be free till the last banker is hung from the guts of the last priest.
gomelb said | November 30th 2009 @ 9:31am | Report comment
Brett, Christian would be a perfect fit for the Melbourne franchise whatever it’s name maybe. Yes he made Aust. Schools twice from Melbourne as did John Ulugia and Tala Gray both I would hope would be seriously looked at. As for Republican’s comments re: DNA it is always helpful to be gifted but hardly the critical issue in turning you into a star. There are many “DNA” gifted players that never made it, these guys worked damn hard to get to where they have. There is a level of commitment required to be successful, never underestimate what these young men had to acheive ahead of others who had far great geographical advantage.