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This week one of the smarter heads in rugby offered some brilliant insight into the needs of rugby in western Sydney – and he’s also doing something about it.
John Muggleton was kind enough to chat to me about rugby in the region where he grew up, played representative footy and is now coaching the next generation of stars. The news is going to put a smile on your face.
“I did play rugby union until I was 16 at Dundas Valley at the same club where Ray Price was my hero growing up being from the valley,” Muggleton said.
“I’m a very proud western suburbs boy. I’ve been very lucky to represent the west in a few different sports and now I get to represent them again.”
Muggleton, of course, played with rugby league for the Parramatta Eels, NSW, and Australia before beginning a rugby union coaching career that includes revolutionising defensive plans and helping Rod Macqueen lead the Wallabies to a World Cup victory.
After some years away he is back in western Sydney. He spent a day a week this season with Parramatta Two Blues working on their defence and he has taken on the coaching responsibilities at the Western Sydney Rams in the NRC.
What sort of long term fix does Muggleton think the west needs from rugby? I gave that away at the top didn’t I?
He agrees the solution isn’t folding clubs, but fostering community connections, financial support and clear pathways. The talent and personnel is there.
“I don’t think we should be looking to reduce the number of Shute Shield teams,” Muggleton said.
“Blacktown is a good area and they did well at the subbies level on the back of some Fijians who came on a missionary journey and wanted to play rugby and attracted others to play.
“Campbelltown is a strong area and I think they should be very close to be able to get a team into the Shute Shield.
“We shouldn’t be reducing the teams. We should bolster them and make sure the governance in each club is right up to scratch and sustainable as well.”
This season the Rams are putting their efforts where their mouth is and are trying to kick start a pathway that capitalises on the enormous Pacific Islander community in western Sydney – the dormant giant of Australian rugby.
The Rams NRC team launched a huge try-out process with invitations to players in the region from Fijian, Samoan and Tongan heritage.
The turnout has been massive. Some estimates put number of players that turned up at well over 200. Muggleton said the number of teams had to be capped at 14. That’s insane.
Muggleton credited Milo Arona, one of rugby’s evangelists and hardest workers, with the idea.
Those players will try out with the Rams and then play in matches before the home games throughout the NRC.
The idea is the western Sydney clubs will also be strengthened by the opportunity to scout some of the natural athletic talent that is currently funneled into rugby league too often. These are communities where rugby has been in the family for generations.
Muggleton hopes each western club will pick up “at least a couple” of quality players out of that process.
“It’s just a radar for us. What we don’t want to do is provide more opportunity for more northern and eastern clubs to poach from our teams, which has been going on for years and years and years.”
“We’ve been looking at it this way: one, we need to stop the player drain. Two we have to get back the players that are from western Sydney playing in other areas. Three, if our teams are successful we’ll attract people to play for us because of the style of rugby we play.”
I hadn’t smiled so broadly about rugby in the west for a long time before I heard about this scheme. And crucially the pathway is very direct: Muggleton is working with the Two Blues, Rams assistant coach Jeremy Paul is coach at Penrith Emus and Joel Wilson a teacher at Newington has been helping with the Rams as well.
The message to the Pacific Islander rugby community is this: try out for us, you might make a squad and even if you don’t you’ll meet the coaches at our clubs and elite schools.
Down the track, once the clubs get their finances in order, the plan is to offer the players $50-$100 a week that the rugby league clubs do that sees so much of this talent lost to rugby.
“Money in the hand, for some people that extra money makes a difference to their lifestyle and what they can provide for their kids,” Muggleton said.
There’s even a hint of commercial and financial support for the western Sydney clubs appearing as they restore order to their governance processes.
“Once we get our clubs sorted out here and we get some backing behind our clubs we can look at it. We are getting good backing from good people like Penrith RSL and Merrylands RSL out here – if we can get more good backing like that we can give people a great opportunity and a little bit of cash to help them out to let them play rugby.”
There you have it: this could be the beginnings of something. Fourteen brand new teams. A plan to build through the clubs in western Sydney.
We’ll have to keep checking in on the progress of this exciting venture in western Sydney. But in a week of fierce discussion on how rugby can, and whether it should, broaden its base well beyond the private school system this was welcome news indeed.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.