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A brutal encounter with the New Zealand Wheelblacks provided a fitting first taste of international wheelchair rugby for the Australian Development Squad on Thursday.
The Australians made history when they landed on New Zealand soil as the first national development squad to feature at a tournament overseas and the experience was one to remember.
Invited to play at the New Zealand National Championships at New Plymouth against four provincial teams, the Australians were also given the honour to first test themselves in a one-off clash against the Wheelblacks, a team with a proud tradition in the sport.
The Wheelblacks, preparing for the World Championships next month in Denmark, used the fixture as one of their last major hit-outs before departing for Europe and it was clear that they would not take the Australians lightly.
In a physical clash in which the Australians showed plenty of heart, the cohesion and composure of the Wheelblacks shone through on their way to a 68-30 victory.
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Head Coach of Paralympics Australia’s national wheelchair rugby program Brad Dubberley acknowledged that it could not have been a better way to start the history-making tour.
Dubberley was among several key staff who did not travel across the ditch, opting instead to enable the Development Staff to take more ownership and grow their own leadership skills and experience.
“It was all about letting this group grow and develop and improve, this was a huge learning exercise for everybody,” Dubberley said.
“With new talent coming through and our emerging coaches and staff bringing different ideas on board and opportunities like this allowing a bigger group within our wider program to gain different perspectives, it’s only going to improve the whole pathway for wheelchair rugby here in Australia.”
Taking confidence from their effort against the New Zealand national side, the Australians then went to work against the four provincial teams – Auckland, Waikato, Canterbury and Bay of Plenty.
Led by Paralympians Blake Cochrane (swimming) and Robyn Lambird (athletics) who have switched to wheelchair rugby after representing Australia in other sports, the Australians ended the round robin stage with one win from their four matches. They then faced Bay of Plenty in a qualifying final for the right to feature in the play-off for third spot and posted a resounding 59-42 victory.
With their next goal to secure third place on the podium, the Australians went goal-for-goal in the first half against a well-drilled Waikato outfit, even though New Zealand Wheelblack star Cameron Leslie provided a huge test at both ends of the court with his skill and tenacity.
Eventually the Australians succumbed to sustained pressure and conceded nine turnovers in the third quarter which proved the difference. Waikato pushed on for a 55-46 victory.
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PA’s National Performance Director for wheelchair rugby Paul Kiteley said that while those errors in the third quarter were critical, he could not fault the effort from the whole squad throughout the entire tournament.
“The athletes showed a willingness to keep competing, to chase down every goal and to not give up. We look for that willingness to really put themselves forward and have a crack, even when you are being outclassed by your opposition,” Kiteley said.
“I saw many positive signs of this group doing the right thing by their teammates and chasing everything done that they possibly could. It’s easy when you’re a few goals behind to go soft, but they went hard every minute for their team and their coach. That was pleasing.
“This gives our program so much more confidence looking towards the future. We had our Development Coach [Jason Lees] and a Team Manager on his first international trip and other support staff who all showed they could meaningfully contribute to the Steelers team if called upon for an upcoming international tournament.
“In these times when we know that all kinds of curveballs can be thrown at us at any minute, the success of this tour really sets up our athletes for the next steps in their careers, but also our staff who have shown they competent and ready to come forward.”
The Australian Development Squad will now prepare for their next international tour to Japan in November.
By: Tim Mannion, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 7 September 2022
Photo: Wheelblacks via Instagram
