Following an enormous 2022 in which Goulburn Rugby Union celebrated our 150th year, we entered 2023 looking forward to the new rugby season. It was a year in which we welcomed a number of new volunteers, players and members, as well as forging new sponsorship partnerships off the field.
I am proud to say that we had another successful year financially, making a small operating profit which means we continue to grow our savings for future projects and initiatives, as well as being able to support the growth of Rugby Union in our region.
I would like to thank all of our existing and new sponsors, who once again ensure we are achieve so much as a club – the only sporting club in our region who actually owns and operates our own facility without council assistance. who contributed enormously to our success in 2022. Our club is extremely lucky to have a wide pool of businesses who are willing to contribute to our success.
Fizzy Reds
Following a shortened season in 2022, the 2023 Fizzy Reds program was a high priority of the committee for this year. The tireless work ethic of Robbie Cosgrove as Fizzy Reds coordinator along with a number of assisting parents ensured this was a very successful junior season with a full season of rugby, and a spirited finals series in the Under 10’s and Under 12’s divisions.
A recent report shared with us by ACT Rugby highlights the challenges facing not just rugby union, but all sport across Australia. There is a ‘participation cliff’ after the age of 11 in junior sport, where participation falls from nearly 70% to 50% by age 15, and then to just over 30% for the 18-24 years age bracket.
As we are all aware, rugby union is also facing a number of challenges with participation in general. The female game has been a bright spot for our sport, but in general we are finding it hard to attract new players, and this is seen in our Fizzy Reds competition.
It is interesting to note that the usual commentary focused on young people and children being stuck on their phones or video games is not the defining factor in these trends. In fact, it is the financial cost of sport, along with a transition from organized sport to non-competitive physical activity such as gym training, which is contributing strongly to the trend.
The report shows that limiting cost, along with a focus on friends and fun, is what is creating success in participation numbers. This is a positive point for Goulburn Rugby, as our Fizzy Reds competition remains one of the most affordable sports in town, and if certainly focused on enjoyment and friendship.
We will continue to focus on these elements, and I am very confident that the dedication of our volunteers, coaches, referees and committee members will ensure success for years to come.
Senior Men
A dedicated group of players began training early in 2023, with some grueling sessions in the summer heat of January and February. This was noticed by John Maxwell, who felt the group could use an outside voice to assist, and put his hand up to coach.
John jumped into the job with energy, bringing new training methods and ideas which were welcomed by the group. He was joined by Corbie Yeo took on the 2nd grade coach role following a shoulder injury in late 2022 which has kept him off the field.
The season began in Canberra with a group of around 25 players, with many having to play a role in both grades, however numbers grew quickly. First grade found a rhythm early, spending much of the season near the top of the table. Second grade were competitive each week and were unlucky to lose a number of close games due to lapses in concentration, however they built some strong combinations as a group and will be stronger for this in 2024.
Unfortunately the 2’s did not make the finals, but many of the players continued to train right through August, as 1st grade began their finals campaign.
An incredible semi-final saw 1st grade take out the minor premiers Tuggeranong Vikings 33-23, progressing to the grand final which would be played against Uni-Norths. Uni had been consistently strong throughout the season, beating us 2-1 in our three games.
Uni brought incredible intensity to the grand final, matched by our men who carried the ball with venom. It was not to be however, as tries off an intercept and then a chip and chase handed Uni-Norths the 14 point lead that would win the final and competition. Full credit to Uni-Norths who defended their line for much of the second half in an incredible effort.
The disappointment of consecutive grand final losses weighs heavy on the group, however they can be incredibly proud of the past two seasons. Although some players have this year retired the player base is still very young, and there is plenty of success to be had in the foreseeable future.
A huge thankyou to John Maxwell, Corbie Yeo, Bec Rudd, Geoff & Chris Shepherd, Courtney Leary and all those who assisted the program throughout the season.
Senior Women
Our senior women once again entered the ACT Women’s 10’s competition, under the expert guidance of Ashley Mewburn and Peter Oliver. They began the pre-season early with our senior men, creating a great atmosphere for training early in the year.
The women faced a high turnover of players this year, with some moving on to other sport or endeavours. A significant positive was our ability to find and attract new players to fill these roles, while maintaining a winning culture.
Injuries and availability did effect the team throughout the year however, with some ups and downs throughout the mid-part of the season. The team finished 2nd on the ladder, but entered the finals period with plenty of momentum.
In a brilliant semi-final the girls defeated minor premiers Uni-Norths 27-26, giving them a week off prior to the grand-final. Unfortunately in the final they came up against a red hot ADFA team with momentum, who ran away with the game 55-26.
It perhaps highlights the challenge in winning a major semi-final and having a week off prior to the grand final. Both our men and women struggled to overcome that this year, with opposition teams full of momentum proving too strong.
A real highlight of the women’s program for 2023 was the combination of training sessions with a group of young girls from Trinity. Warm ups and ball skills were undertaken with men, women and the girls all together, creating a great atmosphere in the midst of winter. This effort should encourage those young girls to progress to senior rugby in the coming years, and is something Goulburn Rugby will look to emulate in years to come.
Rep Honours
The skill of a number of our players was on show in representative game in 2022, as you will see in our rep honours list.
· Jordan Brooker, Josephine O’Brien – ACT Brumbies Country
· Alec Palmer, Matthew Spratley, Will Mooney – ACT Brumbies Country
· Alec Palmer, Ben Todkill, Henry Cooper, Oscar Cunningham, Jackson Reardon, Will Mooney, Matthew Spratley, Dallas Brown, Eric Brown– Monaro Rugby
· Ashley Mewburn, Chloe Waddell, Melissa Smith, Grace Cummins, Josephine O’Brien, Jordan Brooker, Emily Adam, Bella Sheen – Monaro Rugby
· Megan Penning, Courtney Leary – Monaro Rugby Volunteers
A huge congratulations should go to the men involved in the Monaro team, who for the first time in twelve years won the Brumbies Provincial Championships over Southern Inland and South Coast. This was an enormous achievement, which occurred at Goulburn as we hosted this event this year.
Projects/Grant Funding
This year we managed to win funding through two grant programs for important equipment upgrades for our club.
$12,000 was obtained through the Federal Government Stronger Communities Programme, which we used to purchase a new Enforcer Scrum Machine. This machine provides a much more modern platform for our forward packs to safely train and improve their scrummaging.
$3,294 was also obtained through the Variety Australia Community Grants program, to be used for playing and training equipment for our Fizzy Reds competition.
This funding is incredibly helpful for the club, and we thank the Federal Government and Variety Australia for their support.
Once again I wish to thank our sponsors, committee and members for their support of the club throughout 2023. This year I will step down from the President’s role and the committee to focus on work and other pursuits, however I will remain very involved in the club and am sure I will end up back on the committee again in later years. I’d like to thank the countless members who have helped me throughout the past three years. Goulburn Rugby Union is a wonderful community club, and I am very confident it will continue to go from strength to strength.
