Could the Brumbies save Western Sydney rugby?

I know a lot of the current Brumby/Wallaby players. Many live down there for the Super 14 and then live in their home states like QLD and NSW once season is over. They love the ACT set up as it allows them complete peace and time to focus on training and playing. Most would leave is a move to Western Sydney happened. Soccer is the dominant sport out there and any other code looking to make a push will struggle.

GM Mate, I know. I started playing Rugby for the Campbelltown Harlequins. If you didn't play Reps you rarely if ever saw them. Fortunately for myself I did play Reps.

Brett I know i come across quite pig headed at times with re GR Union in the ACT however, I do respect your courteous input and positive outlook in engaging me over recent times. The sevens article is all very new and being sevens is more a novelty carnival event that allows greater access for those who are not so serious about the 15 aside game, so i would not take this as an accurate barometer in assessing the current statndard of Union at the GR in the ACT presently. All this has little bearing on the fact that the status of the game at Schools level here, continues to be dependent on both the SEC and Marist Bros nurseries, who as I have been saying for some time, have consciously moved away from their respective Union cultures, for all sorts of reasons, over the past few years. The ACT Schools side continues to struggle at the National Championships and is definately at the bottom of the pecking order these days, at Div One level below even the C.S and have been, certainly for the last three years at least. Three local players in the Academy at teir 1 is not so impressive when you consider there are about nine Vics I was told last year and they are not even an established or historic Union demographic. I don't deny demos i.e. Vic and WA are improving however they continue to be exposed as non Union demos when pitted against NSW and Qld at all levels, including the GR. This would not appear so when they are pitted against the ACT, which does indicate a dramatic regression in GR STANDARDS, here - don't you reckon? Simply put if we are NOT regressing which I believe we are, then we are definately not keeping pace, not even with Vic who have only just now been afforded an elite based Union side. This will lead to less and less ACT pedigree being represented at the top tier in ensuing years, which is already quite evident. Cheers

OK, I can take that view, and I certainly give you credit for standing by your point of view. But surely mate, the $2-3M investment in the redevelopment of Brumbies HQ in Griffith is about as good a sign as any that they're not going anywhere in a hurry?? Anyway, I've got a few little tid bits that I've been wanting to provide for you, and now seems as good a time as any. Take these on face value, I'm not trying to change your opinion or anything, merely thought you mind find them interesting given your well-known thoughts on the subjects.. Firstly, a post I put up on The Roar in late March, which you may not have seen at the time: Republican, I've been waiting to get the 2010 info to pass on to you.. The Brumbies Academy for 2010 has at least three ACT (as in locally-developed) Tier 1 players, and it might actually be four, the season guide profile isn't clear for the fourth. That's four of 13 in total. In Tiers 2 & 3, of the 23 players listed, upwards of 9 look to be home-grown. Secondly, a link to a CT/SMH article from early March, talking about the ACT Schoolboy 10's tournament and its numbers: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/rocky-and-gits-at-brumbies-boosts-interest-20100316-qbit.html

Brett That may be so, all I can say in my defence is that I have and continue to be anti Brumby management and sceptical re their committment to Canberra but that is true of ALL elite sporting organisations these days. it is a fickle business which I continue to struggle to accept. I am fiercely loyal to this town and certainly become exasperated by the incessant Canberra bashing at all levels, whether that be in a sporting way or anything else. The Brumbies are now only a brand and hold little tribal value for Canberrans anymore as far as I am concerned, so if they go so be it however it should be for the right reasons and not based purely on pregidous, which I believe it often is in respect of this town. Cheers

who are thses influential union heads Republican????

no problems Republican, but I think it's fair to say that I might not be the only Roarer to have evidently misinterpreted your stance re the Brumbies moving/being moved from Canberra.....

Brett, Good to see your mob actaully manage to get across the try line for some bonus points on the weekend, well done. I have never been for their relocation mate. What I have been stating for some time now is that Canberra will and have always been the expedient player in the ARU's grand scheme of things. This is also the case with other sports. I am certainly anti Brumby re their duplicity in staying open to the possibility of re location, which was evidenced by their relationship with the VRU over many years. I really don't think I can be more concise than this. I must confess however to hoping above all hope, that if they or the Raiders were to be re invented elsewhere, a window of opportunity for the capital to get an AFL gig would be further opened. Cheers

Working Class. The ARU/NSWRU have one development officer for the whole south west sydney region. Most kids out that way wouldn't know who the Warartahs are.

sorry Repub, am I reading this right - are you actually AGAINST Brumbies relocation now?!? I had to double-check this was really you, after reading "..I would be waiting to see how successful the ‘Rabble’ of Melbourne are before setting out to again discredit any merit in having the mighty Brumbies based in Canberra..." above!!

SS Result from the weekend Manly 111 d Parramatta 0 !!

It is interesting how some come to the defence of both the Force and Rebels when they are ever mooted for relocation despite the Brumbies being the most successful of all Ozzie Super organisations. So now, more than a decade on we continue to be subjected to more of the same, suggesting a very real anti Canberra culture exists, not only within the Union community but across the board in this country. If we are fair dinkum about all this then we should be scrutinising all of our Super bases and organisations based on more rationale, rather than pregidous and if anything, the WA and Vic organisations should be under the microscope to a greater degree than the ACT is, since they do not hold a candle to the pedigree or success of the Canberra based organisation. What WA and Vic do have in their favour is the filthy lucre that goes with a corporate criteria to create generic sporting brands in demographics that have absolutely diddly to do with history, culture or grassroots of any given code - and that seems to ultimately be what counts today. Cheers

If Western Sydney is such a priority, why don't the Waratahs venture that way. Is it too far for the "Latte" mob from NSW (Croton included) to travel to Western Sydney.

Or, they could just create a Super team in Western Sydney and leave the Brumbies where they are. Why not? It would be easy enough to find the players once rules about overseas imports were relaxed. The Super 15 is bound to become a Super 18 eventually as South Africa will want their Southern Kings and Australia and New New Zealand will feel they have a right to teams as well. At that point, it's likely some kind of saturation of playing resources will have been achieved, and the next expansion wave should continue to Japan and elsewhere.

The whole idea of relocating the Brumbies is just speculative rubbish. What Western Sydney needs in investment. Investment in getting more schools playing the game on a regular basis, more junior clubs to be established, I have said this anumber of occasions before but the Campbelltown/Camden areas only have two clubs for over 300,000 people. In the next 25 years this is expected to at least double. Areas such as these need investment to get more Rugby played. I believe WS needs to be considered a region by itself. Not necessarily an independent Union by itslef but in terms of Schoolboys and clubs for all intensive purpose's its own region requiring similar investment that the current major Union recieve.

Republican makes a good point (whether he realised it or not) - Melbourne is putting together a great team from the ground up. It will hit the ground running in a big way. So why don't NSW do the same? Sack everybody they currently have and recruit a completely new team along the lines of the way that the Brumbies did and the Rebels will do. Get rid of anyone who has ever played politics, especially the Randwick and Uni push and start with a clean slate! Then get out into the West, roll up their sleeves and get on with it. No more excuses! See what it's like to start from scratch and succeed.

japan is never going to happen, people need to get over it, it has so much money involved in their own comp they just won't be willing to, pacific islands is another one which just doesnt have enough money, if the super rugby comp was to expand it would start a whole new pool in argentina, but that isnt going to happen either, southern rugby needs to setup a heinekin cup and move from their

why would Australia get 3 Super Rugby expansion sides in a row? Not going to happen. South Africa next, Japan / Pac Islands before Western Sydney

i disagree, 2017 is when the new domestic comp will start, 2019 super rugby stops, and h cup style games start based on olympics and world cups

Silly, silly, silly. Western Sydney Rams will be the next expansion side for the Super 15, probably in about 2016 is my bet, for the next TV deal.