2013 rugbywa annual report

ANNUAL REPORT 2013Western Australian Rugby Union (inc.)

2 RUGBYWA 2013 ANNUAL REPORT

Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc)Founded 1983, Re-formed 1928

Patron in ChiefHis Excellency Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC,Governor of Western Australia

PatronMr Arthur Hill

Vice PatronsSenator The Honourable Chris Evan; R C Kucera APN; Hon. Alannah MacTiernan MP; The Right Honourable Lisa-M. Scaffidi, The Lord Mayor City of Perth, Hon. Terrence Waldron MLA, Minister for Sport and Recreation; Racing and Gaming; Simon Withers, Mayor Town of Cambridge

Life MembersP Bailey, B Belfitt, Mrs V Bleakley, TJ Bradbury, Dr D Butcher, P Davies-Moore, Rev R Davis, M Day, S Fink, B French, C Green, J Hancock, Dr B Hartley, Dr D Haultain, A Hill, G Hunt, M Hunt, Dr A Johnson, G Mickle, B Olney, Dr R Perry AM, M Penhaligon, D Procopis, D Redpath, B Reinecke, M Siddons, J Skiba, G M Stooke OAM, J Suckling, R Todman, R Trend, R Vaughan

Honorary Life MembersR Arndt, J Freemantle, J Green, B Wright

PresidentD G Redpath

ChairmanDr R J Perry AM

Board MembersD G Redpath (President), Dr R J Perry AM (Chairman), C Fear, S Fink, T Howarth AO CitWA, L Davies, B Stewart, S Staniforth (Player Representative), I Cochrane, D Vaux

Chief Executive OfficerM Sinderberry

SecretaryM Wilson

Judiciary BoardM Becker, M Cashman, P Ellis, J Hancock, M Hunt, B Mews, R Mills, A O’Shea, M Parker, B Thompson, M Tudori, S Waddingham

Australian Rugby Union DelegateDr R J Perry AM

AuditorErnst & Young

2013 Western Force AwardsNathan Sharpe MedalKyle Godwin

Force ManMatt Hodgson

Rising StarKyle Godwin

Members MVPKyle Godwin

RugbyWA AwardsEmployee of the YearDwayne Nestor

Community Rugby AwardsPG Hampshire AwardJoe Savage (Palmyra)

Championship Player of the YearCarols Waretini (Joondalup Brothers)

Coach AwardDwayne Grace (Wests Scarborough)

Top Try ScorerChristian Joubert (UWA)

Top Point ScorerAndrew Smith (Rockingham)

Most Improved PlayerLukas Birch (Kalamunda)

Best Colt Player (U20)Luke Burton (UWA) and Ollie Hoskins (Cottesloe)

Women’s Best & FairestNatasha Haines (Cottesloe)

Referee AwardGraham Cooper

Life MembershipJulie Skiba

Premiership Club ChampionsCottesloe

Championship Club ChampionsCurtin Uni

Champion ClubPalmyra

Office Bearers

Awards

3RUGBYWA 2013 ANNUAL REPORT

Contents2

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11 - 19

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28 - 32

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34 - 55

Office Bearers .......................................

Awards ..................................................

President’s Report .................................

Chairman’s Report .................................

Chief Executive Officer’s Report .............

Media and Marketing Report ..................

Professional Rugby Report .....................

Season Review .............................

Community Rugby Report .....................

WAJRU President’s Report ...................

WARURA Report ...................................

WASRU Report .....................................

Country Rugby Report ..........................

Junior Elite Report ........................

Chief Financial Officer’s Report ............

Finances ......................................


In 2013 the Western Force was relaunched under the guidance of Coach Michael Foley and Captain Matt Hodgson. The team showed signs of great improvement on the field with stirring victories over the Brumbies, Reds, Highlanders and Crusaders. It was also fantastic to see one of our local products, Kyle Godwin, not only consolidate a position within the starting side during 2013, but to go on and receive the inaugural Nathan Sharpe Medal, Rising Star and Members MVP at the end-of-season Awards Night. 2014 will see the Force take further strides forward on the field with plenty of new signings for Force fans to get excited about. This includes the signing of several locally produced players.

The visit of the touring British & Irish Lions to Perth was a highlight of the 2013 Rugby season in Perth. This was the first game between the Lions and the Western Force which did not exist the last time the Lions toured Australia. While the scoreboard went against the Force, the battle in the front row was a highlight, as was the emergence of several young and talented players for the Force.

Welcome to new CEO Mark Sinderberry and his family who have now made Perth their home. Mark has brought clear direction and considerable experience to RugbyWA following on from his previous rugby administration roles as CEO of the Brumbies and the UK heavyweight Saracens.

The new eastern stand and other improved facilities at nib Stadium were available for the Force’s faithful “Sea of Blue” to watch the team in 2013. The vastly improved viewing and general comfort for supporters cannot be understated and I would like to sincerely thank the State Government for its commitment to providing world class facilities.

In local rugby, the Pindan Premiership competition brought to rugby followers, a tremendous season. Congratulations to Nedlands who overcame a four-point half time deficit before running out winners over old rivals Cottesloe, 20-14, to secure the flag after having finished runners-up for the past two seasons. All finals across the Premiership and Championship grade competitions were hotly contested affairs.

Tough Palmyra prop, Joe Savage, was recognised as the competition’s best player, receiving the PG Hampshire Award at the RugbyWA Awards Breakfast. Savage’s strength and technique at the set-piece ensured Palmyra’s front-row was never taken lightly by opposition teams and he added surprising athleticism for a front row forward, crossing for 13 tries during the season, including a hat-trick against University.

Cottesloe player and 2014 Western Force recruit Ryan Louwrens finished runner-up to Savage. Coach of the Year

Award went to Wests Scarborough’s First Grade coach, Dwayne Grace who lead his side to a fourth place finish on the Pindan Premier Grade ladder. UWA fullback, Christian Joubert claimed the competition’s Top Try Scorer after crossing 16 times while Rockingham back Andrew Smith took out the Top Points Scorer award with seven tries, 26 conversions and 22 penalties to finish with 153 points for the season.

Kalamunda flanker, Lukas Birch, was the competition’s Most Improved Player and Cottesloe flyhalf and Australian Sevens squad member Natasha Haines was identified as the Women’s Best and Fairest. Referee Graham Cooper received the Referee Award following a break-out season with the whistle and making two appearances as an assistant referee in two Super Rugby matches.

Cottesloe was named the 2013 Premiership Club on the back of taking out the minor premierships in both the Pindan Premier Grade and Reserve Grade. The 2013 Championship Club was Curtin Uni, following their clean sweep of the First, Second and Third Championships grade premierships. The Champion Club – which takes into consideration the performances at both senior and junior level – was won by Palmyra.

The West Australian Rugby Union Council met on three occasions including the AGM at which Dr Russel Perry AM was re- elected Chairman for a further two year term together with Board Members Steve Fink and Tony Howarth.

The Council endorsed the Board’s recommendation to recognise Julie Skiba as a Life Member. Julie has a long history in rugby, notably with the Kalamunda club, the Referee’s Association and in West Australian Junior Rugby. Congratulations Julie.

Thanks to the RugbyWA Board and in particular our Chairman Russel Perry whose service to Rugby was recognised when he became a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM). The board are a group of highly skilled professionals who provide their services to rugby in a voluntary capacity.

David RedpathPresident

President’s Report


2013 was another year of mixed fortunes with improved on-field performances for the Western Force and ongoing growth in community and junior rugby; but lagging support from potential sponsors and corporate supporters, and the attendance at games not reaching potential.

Firstly, it is appropriate to recognise the efforts, loyalty and hard work of the volunteers who are involved throughout our game from club administrators, coaches, referees, Western Force members, supporters, Force Fifteen members, the Force Family and my fellow RugbyWA Board and Board Committee Members. It is your ongoing passion and involvement shared with that of the Executive and staff of RugbyWA that will keep driving all aspects of our operations towards a more sustainable future.

In particular I acknowledge the contribution of former Board Member and CEO Vern Reid who provided able leadership during a difficult and challenging period of RugbyWA’s history. Vern has now joined the Hong Kong Rugby Union and we wish him well in his new role and look forward to an ongoing relationship. Our new CEO Mark Sinderberry joined us at the beginning of the year and, together with new coach Michael Foley, is already leading us towards a new, more innovative and financially sound future. It is significant that Mark who comes to us from the ACT via the UK and Michael who joined us from Queensland via NSW are the ones who have renewed the organisation’s focus on our “West Australian-ness”. Already through a number of their initiatives we have moved from being a Super Rugby franchise based in WA to becoming perhaps for the first time, a truly Western Australian Super Rugby Club.

This evolution is being reflected in six players from WA selected in the Western Force squad for 2014 (compared with six in total over the last eight years); in Western Force players being formally associated with, playing and attending local club activities; with a new Academy initiative, the Future Force to recruit young players on scholarships to live and study in Perth, to train with the Western Force and to play in our local club competitions; by a focus on Western Australian based companies as potential financial supporters. All of these activities are targeted at a stronger performing elite team, playing a distinctive Western Force style of game, built on the foundation of a growing and higher standard community rugby base.

The community rugby base under the leadership of Andrew Hill and his team is also broadening with particularly strong growth in the juniors and a renewed focus on Women’s and Seven’s Rugby. Seven’s Rugby is to be an Olympic Sport in 2016 and a multi-layered competition has been structured to provide opportunities and pathways for young Western Australian men and women to become Olympic athletes.

Congratulations to the Nedlands Club on winning the first grade Premiership, to all clubs and teams who participated in finals rugby, to Palmyra’s Joe Savage as winner of the P G Hampshire Trophy, to Kyle Godwin as winner of the Nathan Sharpe Medal and to Ben McCalman, Hugh McMeniman and Nick Cummins on their Wallaby selections.

Under the captaincy of Matt Hodgson and lead by new coach Michael Foley with his professional rugby staff, the Western Force turned a significant corner from its “annus horribilus” in 2012. Four victories and two draws with several other games winnable, augurs well for 2014. Particularly important is the fact that in its last four games of the season the Western Force won three matches and drew one.

We acknowledge the support of the Western Force since inauguration, from naming sponsor Emirates Airlines. New sponsorship relationships are being pursued in a tough economic environment and opportunities are now enhanced by the completion of facilities at nib Stadium. In particular thanks to the State Government for the further development of a new and better drained playing surface and the completion of the bowl seating around the northern perimeter.

Despite all these initiatives, another significant loss will be declared for 2013. The Board and RugbyWA Executive have led a multi-pronged agenda to turn this around with a forecast break-even in 2014 before returning to profit in 2015. The agenda includes better on-field performance to improve game day revenues and increased memberships; significant reductions in operating costs; reduced player payments; and new revenue initiatives such as Sevens, a re-structured academy, the newly announced third tier competition with a Perth based team participating and potential overseas revenue opportunities. There is clearly an upside in better engagement with our community rugby population where only 10% of club members are also Western Force Members. This will be our Western Australian focus for the immediate future and as Clubs continue to benefit from the financial success of the Western Force, so we ask and anticipate that this assistance will be reciprocated.

I look forward to the continuing and growing support of all involved in Western Australian Rugby.

Russel PerryChairman

Chairman’s Report


Leading into 2013, the organisation identified the need to reassess our strategic direction. A thorough review of our intended ‘final destination’ for the club, has led us to our vision of becoming “the most respected professional sporting club in Western Australia by 2016”.

This will be achieved by ensuring that

• we are the best sporting club to play and work for,

• our style of play and development of people will be widely recognised,

• we will be important and relevant to the local rugby community,

• have a strong and committed supporter base,

• be a valued member of the wider community;

• and be self-sustaining.

In 2013, our members and supporters enjoyed vastly improved spectator experience at nib Stadium following the complete rebuild of the eastern grandstand and new southern stand. Leading into the 2014 season, the stage of these developments will be completed with the northern end has also being upgraded with seats replacing the previous standing area, and the resurfacing of the field of play. I would like to thank the WA Government for their support in building this world-class stadium, and the Department of Sport and Recreation for their ongoing support of rugby in our proud state.

The stadium upgrade resulted in a delayed start to the Western Force home season, with our first match on home soil not until Round Six of the competition which did see a later showing of interest in the season. Despite the new opportunities available to our corporate hospitality clients by way of the stadium’s new facilities, take-up of match day hospitality decreased in 2013.

Unfortunately throughout the season, crowd attendances were also affected at a number of games by adverse weather conditions while additional competition in the entertainment market – particularly by way of the new Perth Arena – ensures we need to continue to be targeted in the way we continue to engage our rugby community. Regardless of this we are continually humbled and appreciative of the fantastic support we receive from our ‘Sea of Blue’.

The Western Force underwent a ‘relaunch’ in 2013 with the quality of the team’s performances showing significant improvement from the previous season, particularly at the back end of the season. The Western Force won three and drew one in their last six matches of the season to finish the season on a high and have continued to work hard throughout the off-season to continue building on the solid foundations laid in 2013.

We were honoured to host the British & Irish Lions during the season for their first match in Perth in 12 years and the side’s first match against the Western Force at Patersons Stadium. While there was some discontent surrounding the team selection with our Round 17 clash with the Waratahs scheduled just four days later, it was a fantastic opportunity for those selected, including some of our local players, to get the opportunity to play against this world-class opposition.

This year Perth also hosted the Wallabies’ Test with the Argentina Pumas. Unfortunately the match was cruelled by severely inclement conditions and perennial criticism of Patersons Stadium as a poor spectator venue for rugby – with crowd numbers significantly down. Feedback indicated greater crowd numbers would have resulted if the match was played at the ‘Force Field’ (nib Stadium).

We will shift our recruitment focus in 2014, following concessions from the Australian Rugby Union regarding the number of foreign players permitted within the squad – in line with the initial concessions granted to the Melbourne Rebels. This allows us to move away from a reliance on the Australian East Coast-based player pool and will help to allow us to recruit players committed to playing with the Western Force and living in Perth over the longer term.

However, we are yet to find a resolution regarding the significant talent imbalance that exists across the Australian Super Rugby clubs, with particular regard to the number and amount of top-up payments made to Wallaby players.

Our grassroots rugby continues to demonstrate good growth with the number of participants closing in on 10,000 across both junior and senior levels. The interest in Sevens Rugby has also generated increased interest both within rugby and across other sporting codes. We appreciate that our local rugby community are our key stakeholder, and we have identified the need for increased integration and engagement between grassroots and elite level rugby. We are seeking to engage our clubs in our operations and ensure our elite players have a strong rapport with our rugby community, as well as continually seeking to bridge the gap and provide opportunities for our talented young players as a means of strengthening the rugby pathway from local rugby in WA through to the Western Force.

Our financial results were disappointing and at the end of 2013 we will return a loss, based on the reduced revenue from our commercial areas. The slow economic market and the team’s standing within the Super Rugby competition unquestionably had an adverse effect on our Corporate Hospitality revenue. We understand that as a sporting organisation we are also operating within the ‘entertainment market’, and with the club’s history of not winning games,

Chief Executive Officer’s Report


we may not have been the attractive entertainment experience as compared to other opportunities for our local businesses. This is a challenge we are working to overcome, and we are looking at a process of increased engagement for current and potential clients and match attendees as a means of protecting against on-field results – safe in the knowledge that consistent success from the Western Force will accelerate our off-field activities.

The end of the 2013 season signalled the end of our long-term and mutually beneficial partnership with Emirates. As naming-rights partner over the past eight years, Emirates has made a significant contribution to the Force and rugby in WA, for which we are very grateful.

In an ever-challenging financial and sponsorship market, we have undertaken a ground-breaking initiative in 2013 which will see our 23 match day jerseys bearing the brand of a different company. The strength of this initiative is that it gives us the opportunity to engage with and promote new partners, with a very strong focus on engaging Western Australian businesses.

I’d like to recognise and thank all of the volunteers that make the game of rugby possible in WA. These include RugbyWA Board and council members; our club players, supporters and officials; members of the Referees Association; through to those that support all levels of our great code from the Western Force, to our junior development pathways through to our club and grassroots rugby.

Mark SinderberryChief Executive Officer


2013 represented a season of growth and change within the Media & Communications department.

On the back of a disappointing 2012 season and less-than-optimistic forecast for membership in 2013, a communication plan was designed and implemented as a means of stemming a declining membership figure. The strategy focused on the amount of change within the club (new Head Coach, new coaching staff, new players, new stadium) while emphasising the high quality of the incoming staff, players and facilities. The strategy met its desired effect with the final membership renewal and recruitment rate surpassing that predicted.

While there was mild media interest around the team during the beginning of the season – particularly with new players and coaching staff, as the season progressed media interest dropped off when the prospect of making the finals diminished. Frustratingly, much of the coverage surrounding the Western Force did not reflect the quality of performances of the team (particularly against the Bulls and Chiefs, and the draw against the Reds), but rather continued to focus on the overall competition standing.

Similarly frustrating was feedback recorded from a series of focus groups at the end of the season where it became apparent that while information regarding the Western Force and RugbyWA was getting through to our membership, there was a 12-month lag with regard to information transferring across to the general public (including lapsed members). Therefore it is apparent that we need to ensure that we are maximising our media opportunities moving forward and continuing to tell the relevant stories surrounding the organisation to accurately reflect the position in which we are in and, importantly, the direction in which we are heading.

The side was faced with several key off-field news stories during the year: the termination of Alfie Mafi’s contract; the perception that the club did not field its strongest side to face the British & Irish Lions; and the possible recruitment of James O’Connor.

We continue to boast a strong relationship with the local media, including Nick Taylor (The West Australian), Dale Granger (The Sunday Times) and Justin Chadwick (AAP), while Channel 10 and 6PR have also provided continual coverage through the season.

Richard Brown also continued his longstanding relationship with Nathan, Nat & Shaun on Nova 937 while several players were also invited in-studio with Fitzi, Carmen & Blackers on partners, 96FM.

We will continue to place a growing emphasis on our social and digital media channels to create an engaged fan base and ensure that we are not solely reliant on mainstream media.

Our Facebook ‘Likes’ almost doubled for a second successive year (11,762 to 21,216); our Twitter following realised a similar increase (6,075 to 10,819); and our YouTube channel past 1,000 subscribers (1,057). With our focus on fan engagement through these channels, we are looking at new ways to grow these channels and initiatives to encourage further interaction, such as check-ins at matches and photo and video booth engagement.

Our website continues to be a central information hub for information regarding the Western Force and RugbyWA. In 2013 we received more than 1.7 million page views from 284,618 people visiting the site. We received 39.52% new visitors for the site.

David Berrie took over the role of Digital Content Coordinator from Ben Roberts in June, and has already provided a series of high quality videos.

We received assistance throughout the season from our Media Intern, Patrick Henning. Patrick was integral in providing coverage (previews, match reports and relevant stories) of the Pindan Premier Grade during the season. We received regular coverage for the Pindan Premier Grade in The Sunday Times, The West Australian, Western Suburbs Weekly and Stirling Times.

In 2013 we continued to utilise Gareth Morgan to assist with editorial content of Linebreak, our match day programs. Elise Goodin also took responsibility for editing the programs, including liaising with new printing partner, Expo Group. In 2013 we sold an average of 750 programs/match, with a season high 948 programs sold for our highest drawing match of the season against the Crusaders.

Following the completion of the 2013 season, the Media & Communications department merged with the Marketing & Brand to become the Marketing & Communications. This has assisted in streamlining and focusing both marketing and communications activities. In October Nicola Brandon was appointed to the Brand Marketing Manager position while Scott Malcolm has moved across as our Graphic Designer and Marketing Assistant. Elise Goodin (Media Officer) and David Berrie (Digital Content Coordinator) have remained in their respective positions.

I’d like to thank the team for all their efforts (and additional hours) in 2013, and while the team has only been together for a matter of months, collectively we are very optimistic and excited about what we can achieve as part of an organisation moving forward in 2014.

Nick SmithMedia and Marketing Manager

Media and Marketing Report


The 2013 Super Rugby season echoed in a new chapter for the Western Force.

The ‘relaunch’ of the Western Force saw the team approach 2013 with a new squad and new coaching and management staff.

Under the guidance of new Head Coach Michael Foley, the side realised an improved standard of performance with notable wins against the Crusaders (16-14) and Brumbies (21-15) at nib Stadium, and the club’s first over the Reds in Brisbane (19-12) followed up with a 11-all draw against the same side at home.By the end of the season, the Western Force had beaten three of the six semi-finalists (Brumbies, Crusaders and Reds); narrowly gone down by a single point to eventual champions, the Chiefs (22-21), in Hamilton; and pushed the Bulls at their ‘fortress’ home of Loftus Versfeld, with a late converted try to the home side extending the final 36-26 score line.

Despite this, the Western Force finished in 13th position on the Super Rugby ladder with four wins and a draw on 31 competition points – but with a self-belief and enthusiasm to build on the foundations established during 2013.

This season we also took an important step in re-establishing ourselves as a Western Australian club through reconfirming the link between the Western Force and our professional players with their local clubs. All players were required to play their club rugby with their local Pindan Premier Grade clubs. In addition to this, every player undertook a Level 2 coaching certification with those players unable to take the field for their local club providing coaching support for their club. Selected players were also invited to train with the squad throughout the season, with players and coaches also invited to take part in opposed sessions during the year. We will look to continue and extend the relationships with our players and their clubs moving into 2014.

In 2013, Matt Hodgson took on the responsibility of the captaincy of the Western Force – a position he performed with aplomb, with his above-and-beyond contribution to the captaincy, the team and the organisation recognised with his fourth Force Man Award at the end of the season.

The other award recipient at the annual Awards Night was local product Kyle Godwin, who made the inside centre position his own in 2013, starting in all but two matches during the season. Kyle’s consistency and level-headedness beyond his age and experience, led to his three club awards in 2013 – the Rising Star, Members MVP and the prestigious Nathan Sharpe Medal for Western Force player of the year.

During the season, Nick Cummins, Ben McCalman and

Hugh McMeniman were rewarded for their strong provincial form with selection in Wallabies squads. Ben managed selection in the Test squad to play the British & Irish Lions, as well as representation during the Rugby Championship and Spring Tour. After missing out on the British & Irish Lions Test series, Nick had firmly established himself as a first-choice winger for the Wallabies by the end of the season, while Hugh McMeniman made a return to the Test arena after five years away before being unfortunately sidelined with a shoulder injury.

At the Under 20 level, prop Ollie Hoskins returned for his second IRB Junior World Championship in France, while Luke Burton established himself as the starting inside centre while outside back Brad Lacey also earned selection in the squad.

A number of milestones were reached during the season with No.8 Ben McCalman playing his 50th Super Rugby cap for the Western Force in the win over the Highlanders. Meanwhile, 12 players (Chris Alcock, Sam Christie, Sias Ebersohn, Jayden Hayward, James Hilterbrand, Ben Jacobs, Alby Mathewson, Hugh McMeniman, Sam Norton-Knight, Junior Rasolea, Mick Snowden, Rory Walton) all made their Western Force debuts in Super Rugby.

We also welcomed a number of new staff for the 2013 season, including Michael Foley (Head Coach), Steve Meehan (Backs/Attack Coach), Philip Fowler (Rugby Strategist), David Joyce (Head of Athletic Performance), Emidio Pacecca (Senior Physiotherapist), Mark Calverley (Team Manager), and David Wessels and Kevin Foote, who shared the role of Defence Consultant during the season before being recruited as Senior Assistant Coach and Attack Coach respectively for 2014.

The 2013 season was not without incident. Alfie Mafi was released from his contract following a number of infringements of team standards and disciplinary indiscretions, and Chris Eaton, who joined the club on a short-term injury contract from the beginning of the year, was also released for personal reasons following the tragic death of his wife in a car accident in New Zealand. The team was in Sydney at the time of the accident.

At the end of the season we farewelled a number of players, including Richard Brown (Honda Heat), Sam Christie (released), James Hilterbrand (Edinburgh), Ben Jacobs (London Wasps), Toby Lynn (retired), Salesi Ma’afu (Northampton Saints), Alfie Mafi (released – Brive), Locky McCaffrey (released – Brumbies), Sam Norton-Knight (Kubota Spears), Brett Sheehan (released – London Wasps), Mick Snowden (released), Winston Stanley (released – Highlanders), Ben Whittaker (released – Biarritz), Will Tupou (released). We thank these players for their contribution to the side and wish them the best for their future.

Professional Rugby Report


We would also like to thank our departing staff for their contribution to the Western Force during their time at the club, including Steve Meehan (Backs/Attack Coach), Nick Stiles (Forwards Coach), Chris Webb (High Performance Manager) and Scott Anderson (Performance Analyst).

I would like to thank everyone for their efforts during the 2013 season and look forward to sharing the successes of 2014 with the team, the club and our supporters.

Mark CalverleyTeam Manager

BACK ROW: Nick Cummins, Ben McCalman, Will Tupou, Phoenix Battye, Patrick Dellit, Angus Cottrell, Ben Whittaker, Michael Snowden

THIRD ROW: James Hilterbrand, Salesi Manu, Lachlan McCaffrey, Sam Wykes, Hugh McMeniman, Toby Lynn, Rory Walton, Chris Tuatara-Morrison, Junior Rasolea

SECOND ROW: Sam Christie, Kieran Longbottom, Nathan Charles, Winston Stanley, Ben Jacobs, Salesi Ma’afu, Chris Alcock, Ed Stubbs, Heath Tessmann, Tetera Faulkner

FRONT ROW: Sias Ebersohn, Sam Norton-Knight, Kyle Godwin, Alby Mathewson, Michael Foley (Head Coach), Matt Hodgson (Captain), Mark Calverley (Team Manager), Jayden Hayward, Brett Sheehan, Pek Cowan, Richard Brown

Kyle Godwin, 2013 Nathan Shape Medal Recipient

2013 Western Force Squad


2013 Super Rugby – Week 2Saturday, 23 February 2013 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Southern Kings 22(Sergeal Petersen 2 tries; Demetri Catrakilis 4 penalties)

Western Force 10(Pek Cowan, Alfie Mafi tries)

WESTERN FORCE SOUTHERN KINGS1. Pek Cowan 1. Schalk Ferreira

2. Nathan Charles 2. Bandise Maku

3. Tetera Faulkner 3. Kevin Buys

4. Sam Wykes 4. David Bulbring

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Steven Sykes

6. Angus Cottrel 6. Cornell du Preez

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Wimpie van der Walt

8. Ben McCalman 8. Luke Watson (c)

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Shaun Venter

10. Sam Christie 10. Demetri Catrakilis

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Marcello Sampson

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Andries Strauss

13. Winston Stanley 13. Ronnie Cooke

14. Nick Cummins 14. Sergeal Petersen

15. Will Tupou 15. SP Marais

RESERVES RESERVES16. Heath Tessmann 16. Edgar Marutlulle

17. Kieran Longbottom 17. Jaco Engels

18. Toby Lynn 18. Daniel Adongo

19. Richard Brown 19. Jacques Engelbrecht

20. Chris Alcock 20. Johan Herbst

21. Mick Snowden 21. George Whitehead

22. Junior Rasolea 22. Hadleigh Parkes

Season Review2013 Super Rugby – Week 1Friday, 15 February 2013 at AAMI Park, Melbourne

Rebels 30(Ged Robinson, Hugh Pyle, Richard Kingi tries; James O’Connor 3 conversions, 3 penalties)

Western Force 23(Alfie Mafi 2; Richard Brown tries; Kyle Godwin conversion, 2 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE REBELS1. Pek Cowan (c) 1. Nic Henderson

2. Nathan Charles 2. Ged Robinson

3. Tetera Faulkner 3. Laurie Weeks

4. Sam Wykes 4. Hugh Pyle

5. Toby Lynn 5. Luke Jones

6. Angus Cottrel 6. Scott Higginbotham

7. Chris Alcock 7. Scott Fugistaller

8. Ben McCalman 8. Gareth Delve (c)

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Nick Phipps

10. Sam Christie 10. Kurtley Beale

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Richard Kingi

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Rory Sidey

13. Winston Stanley 13. Mitch Inman

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Lachlan Mitchell

15. Will Tupou 15. James O’Connor

RESERVES RESERVES16. Heath Tessmann 16. Shota Horie

17. Kieran Longbottom 17. Paul Alo-Emile

18. Phoenix Battye 18. Cadeyrn Neville

19. Richard Brown 19. Jarrod Saffy

20. Mick Snowden 20. Nic Stirzaker

21. Sias Ebersohn 21. Alex Rokobaro

22. Junior Rasolea 22. Tom English


2013 Super Rugby – Week 3Saturday, 2 March 2013 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Bulls 36(Morne Steyn, Sampie Mastriet, Jean Cook, Werner Kruger tries; Morne Steyn 2 conversions, 4 penalties)

Western Force 26(Angus Cottrell, Toby Lynn tries; Sias Ebersohn 2 conversions, 2 penalties, 2 drop goals)

WESTERN FORCE BULLS1. Pek Cowan 1. Morne Mellett

2. Nathan Charles 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle

3. Salesi Ma’afu 3. Werner Kruger

4. Toby Lynn 4. Flip van der Merwe

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Juandre Kruger

6. Angus Cottrel 6. Jacques Potgieter

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Arno Botha

8. Richard Brown 8. Pierre Spies (c)

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Francois Hougaard

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Morne Steyn

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Bjorn Basson

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Wynand Olivier

13. Winston Stanley 13. Lionel Mapoe

14. Nick Cummins 14. Sampie Mastriet

15. Will Tupou 15. Zane Kirchner

RESERVES RESERVES16. Heath Tessmann 16. Willie Wepener

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Frik Kirsten

18. Sam Wykes 18. Grant Hattingh

19. Ben McCalman 19. Jean Cook

20. Chris Alcock 20. Jano Vermaak

21. Mick Snowden 21. Louis Fouche

22. Jayden Hayward 22. Jan Serfontein

2013 Super Rugby – Week 5Saturday, 16 March 2013 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Reds 12(Quade Cooper 4 penalties)

Western Force 19(Alfie Mafi try; Sias Ebersohn conversion, 4 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE REDS1. Pek Cowan (c) 1. Greg Holmes

2. Nathan Charles 2. Saia Faingaa

3. Salesi Ma’afu 3. James Slipper

4. Toby Lynn 4. Ed O’Donoghue

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Rob Simmons

6. Angus Cottrel 6. Eddie Quirk

7. Chris Alcock 7. Liam Gill

8. Richard Brown 8. Jake Schatz

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Will Genia (c)

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Quade Cooper

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Chris Feauai-Sautia

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Ben Tapuai

13. Winston Stanley 13. Mike Harris

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Luke Morahan

15. Will Tupou 15. Jono Lance

RESERVES RESERVES16. Heath Tessmann 16. James Hanson

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Albert Anae

18. Phoenix Battye 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison

19. Ben McCalman 19. Jarrad Butler

20. Mick Snowden 20. Nick Frisby

21. Junior Rasolea 21. Dom Shipperley

22. Jayden Hayward 22. Aidan Toua

Season Review (cont.)


2013 Super Rugby – Week 6Saturday, 23 March 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 10(Winston Stanley try; Sias Ebersohn conversion; Jayden Hayward penalty)

Cheetahs 19(Willie le Roux try; Riaan Smith conversion, 4 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE CHEETAHS1. Pek Cowan (c) 1. Trevor Nyakane

2. Nathan Charles 2. Adrian Strauss (c)

3. Salesi Ma’afu 3. Lourens Adriaanse

4. Toby Lynn 4. Lood de Jager

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Francois Uys

6. Angus Cottrel 6. Heinrich Brussow

7. Chris Alcock 7. Lappies Labuschagne

8. Richard Brown 8. Philip van der Walt

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Sarel Pretorius

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Riaan Smit

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Raymond Rhule

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Robert Ebersohn

13. Winston Stanley 13. Johan Sadie

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Willie le Roux

15. Will Tupou 15. Hennie Daniller

RESERVES RESERVES16. Heath Tessmann 16. Ryno Barnes

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Coenie Oosthuisen

18. Sam Wykes 18. Rynhard Landman

19. Ben McCalman 19. Boom Prinsloo

20. Matt Hodgson 20. Piet van Zyl

21. Mick Snowden 21. Burton Francis

22. Jayden Hayward 22. Ryno Benjamin

2013 Super Rugby – Week 7Sunday, 31 March 2013 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Waratahs 23(Adam Ashley-Cooper try; Brendan McKibbin 6 penalties)


WESTERN FORCE WARATAHS1. Pek Cowan 1. Benn Robinson

2. Heath Tessmann 2. John Ulugia

3. Salesi Ma’afu 3. Paddy Ryan

4. Toby Lynn 4. Sitaleki Timani

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Kane Douglas

6. Ben McCalman 6. Dave Dennis (c)

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Michael Hooper

8. Richard Brown 8. Pat McCutcheon

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Brendan McKibbin

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Bernard Foley

11. Junior Rasolea 11. Drew Mitchell

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Rob Horne

13. Winston Stanley 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Peter Betham

15. Alfie Mafi 15. Israel Folau

RESERVES RESERVES16. Ben Whittaker 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau

17. Kieran Longbottom 17. Sekope Kepu

18. Sam Wykes 18. Mitchell Chapman

19. Chris Alcock 19. Jed Holloway

20. Jayden Hayward 20. Matt Lucas

21. Sam Christie 21. Ben Volavola

22. Sam Norton-Knight 22. Tom Kingston


2013 Super Rugby – Week 8Saturday, 6 April 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 23(Winston Stanley, Patrick Dellit, Will Tupou tries; Kyle Godwin conversion; Sias Ebersohn 2 penalties)

Rebels 30(Jason Woodward 2, Richard Kingi, Hugh Pyle tries; James O’Connor 2 conversions, 2 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE REBELS1. Kieran Longbottom 1. Nic Henderson

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Ged Robinson

3. Salesi Ma’afu 3. Paul Alo-Emile

4. Toby Lynn 4. Hugh Pyle

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Cadeyrn Neville

6. Angus Cottrel 6. Luke Jones

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Scott Fugistaller

8. Ben McCalman 8. Scott Higginbotham

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Nick Phipps

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Angus Roberts

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Richard Kingi

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Rory Sidey

13. Winston Stanley 13. Mitch Inman

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Jason Woodward

15. Will Tupou 15. James O’Connor

RESERVES RESERVES16. Ben Whittaker 16. Shota Horie

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Laurie Weeks

18. Sam Wykes 18. Jordy Reid

19. Chris Alcock 19. Jarrod Saffy

20. Mick Snowden 20. Nic Stirzaker

21. Sam Christie 21. Tom English

22. Sam Norton-Knight 22. Cooper Vuna

2013 Super Rugby – Week 9Saturday, 13 April 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 16(Sam Norton-Knight try; Jayden Hayward conversion, 3 penalties)

Crusaders 14(Luke Romano try; Tyler Bleyendaal conversion, 3 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE CRUSADERS1. Pek Cowan 1. Wyatt Crockett

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Corey Flynn

3. Salesi Ma’afu 3. Owen Franks

4. Toby Lynn 4. Luke Romano

5. Sam Wykes 5. Tom Donnelly

6. Ben McCalman 6. George Whitelock (c)

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Shane Christie

8. Richard Brown 8. Luke Whitelock

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Andy Ellis

10. Sam Norton-Knight 10. Tyler Bleyendaal

11. Alfie Mafi 11. Tom Marshall

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Ryan Crotty

13. Junior Rasolea 13. Robbie Fruean

14. Ed Stubbs 14. Adam Whitelock

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Israel Dagg

RESERVES RESERVES16. Ben Whittaker 16. Benn Funnell

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Joe Moody

18. Rory Walton 18. Samuel Whitelock

19. Chris Alcock 19. Jordan Taufua

20. Mick Snowden 20. Willi Heinz

21. Sias Ebersohn 21. Telusa Veainu

22. Patrick Dellit 22. Zac Guildford



2013 Super Rugby – Week 10Friday, 19 April 2013 at Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Hurricanes 22(Tuis Pisi, Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen, Brad Shields tries; Beauden Barrett 2 conversions, penalty)

Western Force 16(Alby Mathewson try; Jayden Hayward conversion, 3 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE HURRICANES1. Pek Cowan 1. Ben Franks

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Motu Matu'u

3. Tetera Faulkner 3. Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen

4. Toby Lynn 4. Jeremy Thrush

5. Sam Wykes 5. Mark Reddish

6. Angus Cottrell 6. Brad Shields

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Jack Lam

8. Richard Brown 8. Fafili Levave

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Chris Smylie

10. Sam Norton-Knight 10. Tusi Pisi

11. Ed Stubbs 11. Julian Savea

12. Solomoni Rasolea 12. Tim Bateman

13. Winston Stanley 13. Conrad Smith (c)

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Alapati Leiua

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Beauden Barret

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. Ash Dixon

17. Kieran Longbottom 17. Reggie Goodes

18. Rory Walton 18. James Broadhurst

19. Chris Alcock 19. Karl Lowe

20. Mick Snowden 20. TJ Perenara

21. Sias Ebersohn 21. Reynold Lee-Lo

22. Alfie Mafi 22. Andre Taylor

2013 Super Rugby – Week 11Saturday, 27 April 2013 at Canberra Stadium, Canberra

Brumbies 41(Henry Speight 2, Siliva Siliva, Jesse Mogg, Tevita Kuridrani, Joe Tomane tries; Christian Lealiifano 4 conversions, penalty)


WESTERN FORCE BRUMBIES1. Pek Cowan 1. Scott Sio

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Stephen Moore

3. Salesi Ma'afu 3. Ben Alexander

4. Toby Lynn 4. Peter Kimlin

5. Sam Wykes 5. Sam Carter

6. Ben McCalman 6. Fotu Auelua

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. George Smith

8. Richard Brown 8. Ben Mowen (c)

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Nic White

10. Sam Norton-Knight 10. Matt Toomua

11. Ed Stubbs 11. Joe Tomane

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Christian Lealiifano

13. Solomoni Rasolea 13. Tevita Kuridrani

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Henry Speight

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Jesse Mogg

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. Siliva Siliva

17. Kieran Longbottom 17. Ruaidhri Murphy

18. Rory Walton 18. Leon Power

19. Chris Alcock 19. Colby Faingaa

20. Mick Snowden 20. Ian Prior

21. Sias Ebersohn 21. Pat McCabe

22. Winston Stanley 22. Robbie Coleman


2013 Super Rugby – Week 12Saturday, 4 May 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 11(Ben McCalman try; Sias Ebersohn 2 penalties)

Reds 11(Chris Feauai-Sautia try; Quade Cooper 2 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE REDS1. Pek Cowan 1. Albert Anae

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Saia Faingaa

3. Kieran Longbottom 3. Greg Holmes

4. Toby Lynn 4. Rob Simmons

5. Sam Wykes 5. James Horwill (c)

6. Matt Hodgson (c) 6. Eddie Quirk

7. Chris Alcock 7. Liam Gill

8. Ben McCalman 8. Jake Schatz

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Will Genia

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Quade Cooper

11. Nick Cummins 11. Digby Ioane

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Ben Tapuai

13. Ben Jacobs 13. Anthony Faingaa

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Dom Shipperley

15. Sam Norton-Knight 15. Jono Lance

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. James Hanson

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. James Slipper

18. Rory Walton 18. Ed O'Donoghue

19. Richard Brown 19. Jarrad Butler

20. Brett Sheehan 20. Beau Robinson

21. Solomoni Rasolea 21. Ben Lucas

22. Jayden Hayward 22. Chris Feauai-Sautia

2013 Super Rugby – Week 13Friday, 10 May 2013 at ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe

Chiefs 22(Lelia Masaga try; Aaron Cruden conversion, 5 penalties)

Western Force 21(Patrick Dellit 2 tries, Jayden Hayward conversion, 3 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE CHIEFS1. Pek Cowan 1. Toby Smith

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Hika Elliot

3. Kieran Longbottom 3. Ben Afeaki

4. Toby Lynn 4. Craig Clarke (c)

5. Sam Wykes 5. Brodie Retallick

6. Matt Hodgson (c) 6. Liam Messam

7. Chris Alcock 7. Sam Cane

8. Ben McCalman 8. Matt Vant Leven

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Aaron Cruden

11. Nick Cummins 11. Patrick Osborne

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Bundee Aki

13. Ben Jacobs 13. Save Tokula

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Lelia Masaga

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Robbie Robinson

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. Mahonri Schwalger

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Ben Tameifuna

18. Rory Walton 18. Michael Fitzgerald

19. Richard Brown 19. Tanerau Latimer

20. Brett Sheehan 20. Augustine Pulu

21. Solomoni Rasolea 21. Charlie Ngatai

22. Sam Norton-Knight 22. Asaeli Tikoirotuma



2013 Super Rugby – Week 14Friday, 17 May 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 13(Kyle Godwin try; Jayden Hayward conversion, 2 penalties)

Sharks 23(Riaan Viljoen, Keegan Daniel tries; Patrick Lambie 2 conversions, 3 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE SHARKS1. Pek Cowan 1. JC Janse van Rensburg

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Kyle Cooper

3. Kieran Longbottom 3. Jannie du Plessis

4. Toby Lynn 4. Anton Bresler

5. Sam Wykes 5. Franco van der Merwe

6. Matt Hodgson (c) 6. Marcell Coetzee

7. Chris Alcock 7. Willem Alberts

8. Ben McCalman 8. Keegan Daniel

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Charl McLeod

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Patrick Lambie

11. Nick Cummins 11. Lwazi Mvovo

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Meyer Bosman

13. Ben Jacobs 13. JP Pietersen

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Odwa Ndungane

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Riaan Viljoen

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. Monde Hadebe

17. Tetera Faulkner 17. Wiehan Herbst

18. Rory Walton 18. Pieter-Steph du Toit

19. Richard Brown 19. Derick Minnie

20. Brett Sheehan 20. Jean Deysel

21. Solomoni Rasolea 21. Tian Meyer

22. Sam Norton-Knight 22. Piet Lindeque

2013 Super Rugby – Week 15Saturday, 25 May 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 19(Sias Ebersohn try; Jayden Hayward conversion, 4 penalties)

Highlanders 18(Colin Slade 4 penalties, Hayden Parker 2 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE HIGHLANDERS1. Pek Cowan (c) 1. Tony Woodcock

2. Heath Tessmann 2. Liam Coltman

3. Kieran Longbottom 3. Ma’afu Fia

4. Rory Walton 4. Brad Thorn

5. Sam Wykes 5. Josh Bekhuis

6. Hugh McMeniman 6. TK Ioane

7. Chris Alcock 7. John Hardie

8. Angus Cottrell 8. Mose Tuiali’I

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Aaron Smith

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Hayden Parker

11. Solomoni Rasolea 11. Hosea Gear

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Ma’a Nonu

13. Ben Jacobs 13. Tamati Ellison

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Jason Emery

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Ben Smithers

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. Andrew Hore

17. Salesi Manu 17. Bronson Murray

18. Toby Lynn 18. Joe Wheeler

19. Matt Hodgson 19. Elliot Dixon

20. Brett Sheehan 20. Fumiaki Tanaka

21. Ed Stubbs 21. Colin Slade

22. Sam Norton-Knight 22. Tino Nemani


2013 Super Rugby – Week 17Sunday, 9 June 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 13(Pek Cowan, Kyle Godwin tries; Jayden Hayward penalty)

Waratahs 28(Cam Crawford, Tom Kingston, Oliver Atkins tries; Brendan McKibbin 2 conversions; Brendan McKibbin 2, Bernard Foley penalties)

WESTERN FORCE WARATAHS1. Pek Cowan (c) 1. Jeremy Tilse

2. Heath Tessmann 2. John Ulugia

3. Kieran Longbottom 3. Paddy Ryan

4. Rory Walton 4. Will Skelton

5. Sam Wykes 5. Ollie Atkins

6. Hugh McMeniman 6. Lopeti Timani

7. Chris Alcock 7. AJ Gilbert

8. Angus Cottrell 8. Jed Holloway

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Brendan McKibbin

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Bernard Foley

11. Solomoni Rasolea 11. Peter Betham

12. Kyle Godwin 12. Tom Carter (c)

13. Ben Jacobs 13. Tom Kingston

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Cam Crawford

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Drew Mitchell

RESERVES RESERVES16. James Hilterbrand 16. Luke Holmes

17. Salesi Manu 17. Richard Aho

18. Toby Lynn 18. Adam Coleman

19. Matt Hodgson 19. Liam Winton

20. Brett Sheehan 20. Matt Lucas

21. Ed Stubbs 21. Ben Volavola

22. Sam Norton-Knight 22. Terrence Hepetema

2013 Super Rugby – Week 20Saturday, 13 July 2013 at nib Stadium, Perth

Western Force 21(Matt Hodgson, Ben McCalman, Junior Rasolea tries; Jayden Hayward 3 conversions)

Brumbies 15(Tevita Kuridrani, Scott Fardy tries; Christian Lealiifano conversion; Christian Lealiifano penalty)

WESTERN FORCE BRUMBIES1. Pek Cowan 1. Scott Sio

2. James Hilterbrand 2. Stephen Moore

3. Salesi Ma'afu 3. Ben Alexander

4. Sam Wykes 4. Scott Fardy

5. Hugh McMeniman 5. Sam Carter

6. Matt Hodgson © 6. Peter Kimlin

7. Chris Alcock 7. Colby Faingaa

8. Ben McCalman 8. Ben Mowen (c)

9. Alby Mathewson 9. Ian Prior

10. Sias Ebersohn 10. Matt Toomua

11. Nick Cummins 11. Joe Tomane

12. Solomoni Rasolea 12. Christian Lealiifano

13. Ben Jacobs 13. Tevita Kuridrani

14. Patrick Dellit 14. Henry Speight

15. Jayden Hayward 15. Jesse Mogg

RESERVES RESERVES16. Ben Whittaker 16. Siliva Siliva

17. Salesi Manu 17. Ruan Smith

18. Toby Lynn 18. Fotu Auelua

19. Richard Brown 19. George Smith

20. Brett Sheehan 20. Robbie Coleman

21. Sam Norton-Knight 21. Andrew Smith

22. Sam Christie 22. Mark Swanepoel



2013 British & Irish Lions TourWednesday, 5 June 2013 at Paterson Stadium, Perth

Western Force 17(Richard Brown, Lachlan McCaffrey tries; Brett Sheehan 2 conversions, penalty)

British & Irish Lions 69(Brian O’Driscoll 2, Owen Farrell, Geoff Parling, Mako Vunipola, Tommy Bowe, Jonathan Sexton, James Heaslip, Tom Croft tries; Leigh Halfpenny 9 conversions, 2 penalties)

WESTERN FORCE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS1. Salesi Manu 1. Cian Healy

2. James Hilterbrand 2. Rory Best

3. Salesi Ma'afu 3. Dan Cole

4. Toby Lynn 4. Alun Wyn Jones

5. Phoenix battye 5. Ian Evans

6. Angus Cottrell 6. Tom Croft

7. Matt Hodgson (c) 7. Sean O’Brien

8. Richard Brown 8. James Heaslip

9. Brett Sheehan 9. Conor Murray

10. Sam Norton-Knight 10. Jonathan Sexton

11. Corey Brown 11. George North

12. Chris Tuatara-Morrison 12. Manu Tuilagi

13. Ed Stubbs 13. Brian O’Driscoll (c)

14. Dane Haylett-Petty 14. Tommy Bowe

15. Sam Christie 15. Leigh Halfpenny

RESERVES RESERVES16. Hugh Roach 16. Tom Youngs

17. Sione Kolo 17. Mako Vunipola

18. Tim Metcher 18. Matt Stevens

19. Ben Matwijow 19. Geoff Parling

20. Lachlan McCaffrey 20. Toby Faletau

21. Alby Mathewson 21. Ben Youngs

22. Nick Haining 22. Owen Farrell

23. Solomoni Rasolea 23. Sean Maitland


The 2013 Community Rugby season again highlighted the great work of our clubs and volunteers. The quality of rugby played from juniors to seniors is continuing to improve and the efforts put in to this development and growth of our game has been outstanding. RugbyWA would like to acknowledge the rugby community for their ongoing support of the game and their endless volunteer hours that ensure rugby continues to thrive in WA.

After the very strong growth in 2012, the 2013 season again saw more registered juniors and seniors playing the game in our club rugby competitions, continuing our rise towards 10,000 registered participants in the next few years. The increased focus on Sevens this year has seen significant growth in participants - in particular in the girls and womens competitions - with numerous players being introduced to rugby at these tournaments. The work of the Development Officers in schools this year has seen a significant increase in the amount of schoolkids exposed to the game. The efforts from our clubs, schools and Sevens events have seen our total participation figures skyrocket from 23,971 in 2012 to 30,359 in 2013, a growth of 26.65%. The challenge in coming years will be to convert more participants into regular club rugby, to continue the growth into our clubs.

The RugbyWA Juniors (formerly WAJRU) executive led by Martin Becker, have again worked incredibly hard this season to deliver a quality competition for all our junior club rugby players, the future of our game. The competition saw some great rugby across WA with nearly 1,500 competition games being played in Perth, the South West and Kalgoorlie. At the end of the season the quality of the juniors programs at Wanneroo shone through with the club competing in five out of six Grand finals and winning three. Joondalup and Rockingham were also well represented with Joondalup winning the U15 and U16 age groups. In the juniors, the strength of the South West and Kalgoorlie competitions showed with country numbers growing by 12%.

In Senior rugby this year we saw the emergence of a number of new clubs with the Island Barbarians (Kalgoorlie) and Kwinana entering senior competitions for the first time in 2013. 2013 also saw the establishment of the Broome Luggers club after the successful development work in the Kimberley in 2012 and the inaugural Broome Sevens event.

The Premier and Championship competitions this year were of a high standard and the professional match day experience that all our clubs provided was great to see. In the Championship divisions, a number of changes early in the year saw Rockingham and UWA competing in the competitions, which expanded the competition and added increased quality and variety for the Championship clubs. The Championship 1st grade competition produced some very entertaining rugby with the Grand Final display between ARKs and Curtin Uni showing how far the smaller clubs have come in terms of quality rugby in recent years with Curtin Uni running out winners on the day. In the Pindan Premiership competition, the whole finals series was a nail-biting affair.

The Grand Final match between Cottesloe and Nedlands was a very physical affair with the 2,000 plus spectators treated to a see-sawing battle that Nedlands eventually took control of late in the match, running out victors 20 to 14. Cottesloe dominated the women’s competition, going through the season undefeated, culminating in their 10-3 grand final victory over Wanneroo.

In Sevens Rugby, the establishment of a WA Sevens circuit which extends across the off season with club based events in Cockburn and Wanneroo and RugbyWA events in Margaret River, Broome and on Scarborough Beach, as well as Sevens tournaments for all junior age groups from U12s to U18s has been a great success. The Margaret River Sevens, our premier event, grew from 15 teams in 2012 to 25 teams this year, with Nedlands taking out the final in convincing fashion over Wests Scarborough in the Open Mens Division whilst the Cottesloe Chicks beat Wanneroo Divas in the Womens Division. The tournament also featured 8 invitational sides as well as a mixture of traditional club and country teams, highlighting the opportunity to grow the game with new groups and teams entering, where previously there was no opportunity to play.Our first ever Rugby event in the Kimberley – Broome Sevens, was successful and helped in establishing the Broome Luggers Rugby club. The tournament also gave an opportunity for Port Hedland, Kununurra and Bidyadanga to compete in a rugby event for the first time.

The Beach Rugby event held at the Scarborough Beach amphitheatre was another successful rugby initiative this year with 20 teams registering. The completely different venue for rugby showcased our game to thousands of spectators throughout the day and again attracted a good mix of invitational teams and traditional club teams. Pleasingly, there was a ladies team made up of players that had never played rugby before and the appeal of these alternate formats for people outside the rugby community is significant.

Our other club based sevens events at Southern Lions (Cockburn Sevens) and Wanneroo (KK Invitational) were well organised and assisted in establishing a Sevens circuit for WA. In the juniors there were tournaments for every age group from U12s to U18s and the pathway to the Olympics through Sevens is beginning to be a strong attraction for people to consider rugby.

This year’s Country Carnival was held in Perth, this time at Perth Bayswater Rugby Club, and as always country rugby’s passion, hard edge and camaraderie, reminds us all of why we love the game. The revival of Katanning and Esperance Rugby clubs and the establishment of the Island Barbarians from Kalgoorlie added more depth to the competition this year. The strength of the Eastern Goldfields (Kalgoorlie) competition was evident with the top 3 places being filled by Kalgoorlie teams with the Island Barbarians working their way through to the Grand Final in their first year. The Grand Final match was against the Stormers and the match was worthy of a grand final with the Barbarians coming out on top 28-24.

Community Rugby Report


Our overall women’s program grew significantly in quantity and quality throughout the 2013 season. The local competition grew over 20% and increased its depth with the bottom end of the competition dramatically improving. 2013 also saw three Western Australia women’s teams head to National Championships with both our School Girls Sevens side and the 15-a- side women finishing third to big states New South Wales and Queensland. Several players were identified over all three tournaments with five players selected for Australian duties and a further seven players selected in Australian development programs. Two of the athletes selected in these programs had been identified playing other sports during 2013 and were provided a pathway into rugby through school girls sevens.

The Western Australian Rugby Union Referee’s Association (WARURA) and their incredible commitment to our game continued in 2013. WARURA embarked on some significant efforts to improve their standards at the end of 2012 and their efforts in mentoring and coaching their up and coming referees has taken another step forward this year as has their physical standards through the fitness testing programs they have implemented. The role of the referee is so significant to our game and without the work of people like Brendan Fitzgerald and our newest life member, Julie Skiba, rugby in the state would struggle.

2013 has been another step forward for Rugby in the state of WA. Bring on 2014.

Andrew HillGeneral Manager, Game Development

Joe Savage (Palmyra), PG Hampshire Award Recipient

Nedlands RUFC, 2013 Pindan Premier Grade Premiers


I think you will all agree that this was another successful year for junior rugby with nearly 1,500 games played throughout the year by 4400 registered junior players.

I would like to thank our major sponsor Bankwest for their continued support of Junior Rugby.

For those of you who may not be aware Mr Steve Fink has kindly accepted the role as Patron to Junior Rugby in Western Australia and has continued to provide great support in his role as Liaison officer. On behalf of my committee, I thank him for his support and advice over the past year and look forward to working with him next year.

I would like to thank the Curtin Rugby Club for stepping in at the last minute and hosting our Grand Finals day; it was a fitting finale to our season and well run by the Curtin Club.

It was disappointing to have our U16 grand final at Paterson Stadium cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather. We hope to have the opportunity in the future to showcase our juniors at a Test match. Once again thank you to Curtin for stepping in and arranging the game to be played at their ground. A great effort at such short notice.

Our game continues to grow in numbers and while this is a pleasing outcome it does present us with some strategic decisions as to how the competition will be structured in the future. We have run a number of forums over the past few months to determine how our competition could be structured to cater for the challenges we face.

As we did last year, we also conducted an end of season forum to see, from a clubs point of view, what worked well and what didn’t. The results of these forums will be distributed to clubs as soon as possible.

As you are all aware, the running of a club takes considerable effort and requires the assistance of many people. These are the coaches, managers, registrars, administrators, canteen workers and of course parents at every club who put their hands every week up to ensure our juniors players can participate in our great game. On behalf of my committee and RugbyWA, I would like to thank you for your efforts and acknowledge that without your support we would not be able to provide our players with a game experience each week. I look forward to your support next year.

When I took on the role of President it was suggested to me the first thing I should do should do is recruit a great Secretary and a great Treasurer and I have been lucky over the past few years to have both. Paola and Graham, thank you for the work you have put in over this year and past years. It has ensured the committee has run smoothly and certainly made my life much easier.

To the other member of my committee - Noel, Adrian, Francis, Barry, Pieter and Russell - thank you for all the work and time you have put in over the year. It is much

appreciated and Junior Rugby is the better for the efforts, changes and developments implemented over the year.

To Andrew Hill and his team at RugbyWA, in particular Richard who has worked tirelessly week in week out to make this competition successful, and to the rest of the Community Rugby team - Justin Shakeshaft, Graham Cooper, Tobias Hoskins, Dane Lazarus, Brad Lacey, Justin Turner, Ollie Hoskins and Geoff Deere - my sincere thanks for your efforts throughout the year.

I would also like to thank Dwayne Nester, Mark Calverley and Louis Dallimore for the great work in our representative and development programs. There are some exciting times ahead for our junior representative teams with the Junior Gold Cup commencing soon. This is a national competition for our U/15 and U/17 representative teams and will provide great opportunities for our juniors to play against the best teams in Australia.

I would also like to thank Maryanne Wilson and Vicki Hamlin from the commercial team for their assistance throughout the year.

Needless to say we wouldn’t have a game with the tremendous efforts of the West Australian Rugby Referees Association. To Julie Skiba, Bruce Dunn, Brent Mews and all referees who support the game, thank you for organising, coaching developing and mentoring our referee’s year in and out, where would we be without you!

I would like to remind you that this game can only continue to grow with your support. We need strong governance both at committee level and in our clubs and we need to be united in our goals to make this game a showcase for sport in Western Australia and that can only be achieved with your continued support.in 2014.

Martin BeckerPresident, RugbyWA Juniors

WAJRU President’s Report


IntroductionThe season for 2013 was approached using the output from the 2012 Season Review as a strategic plan for the next five years. This focussed on the following key areas:

• Referee quality – we aim to lift the quality of refereeing, with greater demands for consistency, fitness and professional approach. Our Mission Statement is

• All Referees should referee “above the game” to which they are appointed and thereby assist Rugby in WA to develop and the players to play to their potential.

• Referee recruitment – we must establish a regular flow of new referees from the clubs by active involvement and liaison with the clubs. Our members are encouraged to be our ambassadors and increase interaction with the clubs.

• Young Referees – we aim to improve recruitment, development and retention of high quality, young referees by providing a clear pathway, with high quality and consistent Referee Coaching and appropriately resourced mentoring.

• Assistant Referees – we encourage all referees to take up the role of Assistant Referee and we shall coach them in that role. We encourage clubs to provide qualified ARs/Touch Judges for every game, at every grade.

• Club Feedback – We encourage clubs to provide good quality feedback on referee performances. Better quality feedback will be used and respected.

• 7s Rugby – with 7s as an Olympic sport, WARURA shall work to develop greater knowledge and skill in 7s Rugby Refereeing. We will work with RugbyWA to help develop Margaret River 7s into a recognised major tournament.

The Association closed out a number of actions from the 2012 Season Review and made progress in each of the key areas, as discussed below.

This programme is really only an expression of what we need to do to meet the expectations of the rugby community. Nevertheless, the demands this places on our volunteers has stretched us to near breaking point at times, for some, and required us to be more systematic in our approach. All Executive Committee, CAB and Junior CAB members now adopt one or more portfolios that need to be fulfilled. For 2014, we will have an Operations Procedures Manual which will define roles, responsibilities and outputs to assist our volunteers to optimise their efforts.

The strategic plan will be reviewed and revised as part of the 2013 Season Review, which has already commenced and will be completed when the new Exec and CAB members are in place.

On the FieldWe have 133 active referees and 26 referee coaches in a total membership of 149. (Some are both referees and referee coaches.) Our membership remains unable to cover all required games.

The following summarises the appointments versus games:

Competition Games Referee Appointments

Games not covered

Senior 735 727 8

Junior 632 610 22

PSA 114 114 0

In addition, schools games in the CSC competition mid-week were dealt with on an ad hoc basis. Other appointments included:

Game Description Referee Appointments

Margaret River (excluding 7s) 3

Country Grand Finals 2

16s, 14s, etc. trial games 12

Regional games 9

Visiting overseas sides 5

Plus various carnivals, John Welborn Cup, Schoolboys, etc.

Notes:

1. A few Referees every Saturday referee more than one game – mainly in the Junior competition.

2. Several Referees officiate at a Junior game on Saturday morning and a Senior Game later the same day.

The Club Referee Programme of RugbyWA produced 20 new referees for the season, although a similar number of referees did not continue this season.

Discipline & AbusePlayer discipline showed no improvement this year compared to last and there were a number of unsavoury incidents involving abuse of match officials by team personnel on the touch line and/or spectators. The following summarises the matters sent to the judiciary:

Competition2012 2013

Sin Bin Send Off

Code of Conduct Sin Bin Send

OffCode of Conduct

Senior 348 38 6 405 40 5

Junior 55 16 8 70 18 8

Notes:

3. These figures include two players sent off in the Margaret River 7s and one player sent off in the Women’s Competition.

4. In addition, there were 6 citings – one of which was dismissed.

5. One Premier Grade game involved 4 send-offs and 4 citings (one of which was dismissed). In the same game, another player received his third sin bin of the season. RugbyWA issued Code of Conduct charges against both clubs.

WARURA Report


6. In addition, 14 players were sent off in the U-18s competition in 2013.

7. Lifting/tip tackles resulted in 3 send-offs, 2 of which were in U-18s.

8. One person in Senior competition (player send-off) and one in Junior competition (adult code of conduct) failed to attend Judiciary and are banned from all rugby until they attend.

WARURA is very concerned at the continuing level of abuse of match officials. In addition to those incidents addressed by cards for players and code of conduct hearing for non-players, a significant amount of low-grade abuse is directed towards our members. We seek more assistance from clubs in dealing with this issue. A typical example occurred when one spectator cat-called the referee repeatedly over a 50-50 decision. When a RugbyWA official asked the spectator to tone it down, he answered that the referee had chosen to take up the whistle, so he was entitled to yell at him. Such attitudes have to be eradicated or we will continue to lose referees.

We are particularly concerned at the amount of abuse and intimidation directed at younger referees. This is unacceptable and quite cowardly.

RugbyWA, with input from WARURA, launched a campaign against abuse of match officials prior to the Senior Finals – “Respect the Call”. Through this, information was sent to all registered players and team officials. I am particularly grateful to RugbyWA Chairman, Dr. Russel Perry, for highlighting “Respect the Call” at the PG Hampshire Awards breakfast.

WARURA also are grateful for the hard work of the Judiciary in sometimes challenging circumstances. We will continue to work with them to see appropriate outcomes.

WARURA will continue to work with RugbyWA on these matters and seek to enrol the clubs in positive actions to remove these behaviours from their environs.

DevelopmentA significant number of senior WARURA members are providing personal coaching and mentoring for the growing numbers of younger referees. We are being challenged by the ARU to develop more referees to the level where they can be considered for National Development squads by their mid-twenties. Graham Cooper has led the way and we congratulate him on the following appointments:

• ARU National Panel Squad

• Super Rugby – AR: Reds v Sharks, Waratahs v Brumbies

• Shute Shield – Referee: Gordon v Syd Uni, Eastern Suburbs v Randwick, Parramatta v Gordon.

• Youth Olympics 7s, Darwin 7s & Noosa 7s – Referee

• Gold Coast IRB 7s – AR

• Number 5 – Western Force v British & Irish Lions and Australia v Argentina

• IRB 7s Development Squad

Graham also achieved the milestone of the youngest ever Referee in WA to be appointed to the Premier Grade Grand Final. Together with these achievements, Graham’s work in development and mentoring for our younger referees is an inspiration. We congratulate him on his award from RugbyWA as Referee of the Year.

Overall, the average age of our Premier Grade Referees is coming down:

Average age of Premier Grade

Referees (years)

2010 2011 2012 2013

36.1 35.4 34.7 33.5

The average age of Grand Final Referees in 2013 was 34 years. The average age of the Referee and two ARs for the Premier Grade Grand Final was 25.5 years.

I wish to congratulate the following referees who achieved appointments outside the State:

• Patrick Davis - Darwin 7s, Exchange to Sydney, accompanied by his Referee Coach and mentor, Peter Hilgendorf.

• Tyler Miller - AR at National Women’s, Central Coast 7s and Darwin 7s

• Kyle Burnett - Central Coast 7s & Darwin 7s

• Mark Calverley - Darwin 7s

• Callum Stewart - Darwin 7s

• Rohen Skiba - Darwin 7s

• Julie Skiba - Referee Coach & Administration, Darwin 7s

• Rob Kellam - Referee Coach at National Women’s

Several referees were also able to combine refereeing with business trips, with the assistance of RugbyWA and WARURA.

Our latest challenge from the ARU is to recruit more women Referees, particularly for 7s. The International Olympic Committee have stated that all of the match officials in the Women’s 7s competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics must be women. So we have to bring more women into the game to be part of this exciting opportunity.

VolunteersOnce again, we are grateful for the continuing support and assistance that we have received from RugbyWA. We are also very grateful for the support received from the professional arm of RugbyWA for fitness testing, strength & conditioning by Justin Turner. Our members were also very honoured to have Michael Foley, Western Force Coach and Wallaby Legend, provide a presentation at an Education Meeting.

WARURA Report (cont.)


I wish to thank the following for their excellent work:

• Julie Skiba, our Administrator and Honorary Secretary for 2013 and Life Member. We were delighted that Julie was honoured with life membership of WARU in 2013;

• Pete Liddle, as Chairman of the CAB for the first half of the season;

• Anthony O’Shea, initially as Honorary Treasurer and then Chairman of the CAB for the second half of the season;

• Ian Hailes, for his leadership of Development on the CAB;

• Gary Bryant, for his continuing excellence with the education meeting programme;

• Justin Shakeshaft, for his organisation of Referee Fitness testing and other work on the CAB;

• David Procopis for his fantastic work as Editor of The Whistler newsletter and his management of our website;

• Robbie Burns for his many roles, including development of a new website and latterly Honorary Treasurer;

• Bruce Dunn, for his continuing commitment and leadership of the Junior CAB;

• Sam James, as a great ambassador through his work as liaison for visiting referees (Super Rugby and international) and his diligent work as Ombudsman;

• Kim Short for his witty contributions as Honorary Sherriff, through which we have raised hundreds of dollars for Princess Margaret Hospital for Sick Children;

• Junior CAB members Brent Mews and Julie Skiba;

• Executive members: Peter Hilgendorf (Vice President & sponsorship), Brent Mews (WAJRU Liaison), John Hill (Historian) and Rob Kellam (to August 2013).

I reserve special thanks for Brent Mews. Brent has served with distinction for several years on the Exec, including as Honorary Secretary, and on the Junior CAB. He has also undertaken match day administration of many of the 7s and other tournaments that have occurred through many seasons. He is the archetypal volunteer, always the first to raise his hand and expects nothing in return. His unfailing good humour and unflappable nature have helped many referees when things were getting fraught on the sidelines. Many little jobs would not get done without Mewsey, but if they were not done, they would be missed. To recognise one of the un-sung heroes of our volunteer organisation, I was pleased to give Mewsey the President’s Award for 2013.

I also thank Andrew Hill and his team at RugbyWA for their input and support. Hilly has been supportive and encouraging in his work with me throughout 2013.

Brendan FitzgeraldHonorary President, WARURA

Grand Final Referees: Mark Calverley, Graham Cooper, Alex Ninkov

Tyler Miller - AR at National Women’s, Central Coast 7s and Darwin 7s


Rugby in Western Australia continues to grow with the number of School based players showing good growth. The Schools playing Rugby assist in introducing the sport to the students which in turn, sees a number of players move into the club scene. I know teachers and coaches see this as a benefit to the School team, but on occasion can be a conflict for the School. This can also be seen with the cross- section of players in our state Schoolboys team coming from State/Independent and Catholic sectors. Thanks must go to the management team that took the boys to Sydney.

FIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB SCHOOL

Hayden Anderson Wests Scarb. Aranmore College (C)

Auvae Auvae Palmyra Seven Oaks Senior High (G)

Terrell Berryman Wanneroo Aranmore College (C)

Joshua Billington Hale School (Ip)

Ruban Birch Kalamunda Guildford Grammar (Ip)

Hershelle Classen Wests Scarb. Aranmore College (C)

Kauri Cudd Mandurah Comet Bay College (G)

Tevin Ferris Mandurah John Tonkin (G)

Michael Fotu Palmyra Lynwood High School (G)

Luke Fouwler Kalamunda Mazenod (C)

Liam Husband Joondalup St Marks (I)

Aden Kambouris University Hale School (Ip)

Jacob Kohinga Kalamunda Aranmore College (C)

Tim Koiatu Wanneroo Tuart College (G)

Chris Miller Palmyra Kennedy Baptist College (I)

Jayden Ngamanu Wanneroo Aranmore College (C)

Isaiah Pedersen Southern Lions Thornlie SHS (G)

Blake Phillips Wanneroo Clarkson Community HS (G)

Tristan Schneider Joondalup Mindarie Senior College (G)

Thomas Sheminant Nedlands Christ Church Grammar School (Ip)

Angus Taylor Wanneroo Newman College (C)

Key : C (catholic) I (independent) Ip (independent PSA) G (government)

Combined High Schools (2013)The season started early for the Combined High Schools competition in term one with the Year 9’s and the First XV playing a seven-a-side comp and then moving into a round robin home and away season. This worked very well and although some games were postponed due to Year 11 and 12 exams in term two, everybody was pleased with the season. The Year 10’s and Year 8’s commenced towards the end of term two and this proved to run very smoothly. Some of the senior boys completed their referee’s ticket during term two and assisted in the lower school games.

The winners of the competitions were Aranmore Catholic College in all divisions with Thornlie Senior High Schools the runners up in all divisions.

Aranmore proved they are the side to beat, also winning the John Welborn Cup, James Stannard Cup, Deb Hodgkinson Cup (Girls) and the Force Sevens for Year 8’s and 10.

Baldivis Secondary College, Halls Head SHS and Churchlands SHS all showed great signs of improvement this year and La Salle College performed well in their first year in the competition. They have just opened their boarding facilities and have a large influx of students from the Kimberley and the North West.

Thanks goes to the Development team at RugbyWA who help the coaches and run the various competitions.

Next Year we will be starting in term one earlier than this year to try and avoid any conflict with Exams.

PSA Rugby (2013)Redmond CupThe 1st XV competition was highly competitive with little between the top three or four sides, each capable of beating the others on their day. The draw which sees each team play all others twice during the season ensures fairness in the competition. At the business end of the season Christ Church, Hale and Trinity were the teams in contention for top honours. Congratulations to Hale for retaining the Redmond Cup for the 11th year in succession.

Summary of the current season

• The season on the whole was a successful one but there are as usual areas that need to be addressed. At 1st XV level, the ‘floating/movable’ window was adopted again defaulting to the oldest U18 player, provided that set scrums could occur. Ultimately, the ARU exempted front row players, so there was not really an issue here.

• The smaller senior cohort in 2014 due to the ‘half year cohort’ will present challenges for some schools in terms of fielding Open teams.

• Four boys from PSA schools gained selection in the WA Schoolboys team which competed at the Australian Schools championships in July: Thomas Sheminant (Christ Church), Ruban Birch (Guildford), Josh Billington and Aden Kambouris (Hale).

• The strength of the rugby program in younger years continues to grow with ‘top team’ honours this year being shared by: Scotch and Trinity (Yr 7), Hale (Yr 8), Hale (Yr 9), Guildford (Yr 10)

• RugbyWA provide valuable resource support in terms of coaching courses throughout the season. This is acknowledged with gratitude by the schools.

WASRU Report


Another year of rugby has come and gone and Country Rugby is still going strong. We’ve had another successful year with numbers increasing throughout the regions.

RugbyWA is spreading the rugby love to the far North as we had the first Sevens competition in Broome and again we have the Bloody Slow Cup in Newman that attracts big crowds from all over the State.

It’s great to see our junior competitions growing both in the South-West and Goldfields and I would hope that it would not be too long before we have a Junior Country Carnival to allow the juniors to play together.

Eastern GoldfieldsThis year we saw the introduction of Islander Barbarians to the competition and straight from the outset we saw them dominate the competition. Last year’s title holders, Boulder-WASM were still partying as they numbers were down from the previous year and did not threaten the competition.

This year’s Grand Final saw new comers, Barbarians and past champions Stormers clash in their first final.

South-WestThe South-West welcomed back Katanning to the fray after being dormant for a couple of years. Numbers have grown in the South-West and Dunsborough continued their dominance throughout the year.

This year’s final saw the Gropers from Margaret River go against their old foe, Dunsborough Dungbeetles.

The first half remained try less with the Gropers scoring two penalty goals to go into the break 6-0 up. The Gropers continued their dominance in the second half with Nicolai Herd scoring the Gropers only try. Dunsborough rallied late in the game to peg back a try but ran out of time with the Gropers winning the 2013 title 14-5.

GeraldtonEven though there is no competition in Geraldton, they deserve to be acknowledged. Gero’s are always keen to play and invite teams to come up for a great weekend of Rugby. Gero have created some great relationships with the Perth Clubs and make the drive down to Perth to play one off games.

The only full game this year was against the local Police Branch earlier in the year with Geraldton chalking up a 24-10 win with Ben Cook being best on ground.

Country CarnivalThis year’s carnival was hosted by Perth-Bayswater at Pat O’Hara Reserve. A total of eight teams travelled from as far as Esperance.

Day one saw some upsets with Esperance beating the current Goldfields champions Boulder-WASM, but the dominating teams from the Goldfields made a clear statement from the outset with the Islanders, Stormer’s and Bushies winning all of their pool games.The fight to finals was going to be last man standing with the Goldfields Teams and the Islanders and Stormers were the last standing to play in this year’s final.

In a final that see-sawed from the first kick-off, the Islanders held on to secure their first title on their first attempt, winning 28-24.

Thank you to Perth-Bayswater for putting on a great weekend and we look forward to coming back in coming years.

The 2014 carnivals moves back to the country with the Eastern Goldfield’s teams hosting Carnival in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

A big thank you to all the players, coaches, volunteers of Country Rugby because Country Rugby is what we make and we are only a couple of years away from celebrating our 25th Carnival.

Ray MillsPresident, Country Rugby

Country Rugby Report


U14sU14 State Champs

DATE: 7/10/13 DATE: 9/10/13 DATE: 11/10/13 CUMULATIVE TOTAL

OPPOSITION POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST OPPOSITION POINTS FOR POINTS

AGAINST OPPOSITION POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST FOR AGAINST DIFF

NORTH South 10 7 South 14 5 South 32 0 56 12 44

Tries Nika Morehu Lapo Biggazi,Manaia Stockman-Te-Rahui

Manaia Stockman-Te-Rahui 2, Nika Morehu, Jamie Bonner

Goals Ethan Reilly Ethan Reilly, Jack Hardy Ethan Reilly 3

Penalties Ethan Reilly Ethan Reilly 2

Drop Goals

SOUTH North 7 10 North 5 14 North 0 32 12 56 -44

Tries Tom Norman Conor Sattler

Goals Reece Anderson

Penalties

Drop Goals

2013 State Champions: NORTH





NORTH South 10 12 South 5 26 South 20 19 35 57 -22

Tries Kade Pearce 2 Payden Porter Conrad Fisher, Emgee Fourie

Goals Aiden Shortall 2

Penalties Aiden Shortall 2

Drop Goals

SOUTH North 12 10 North 26 5 North 19 20 57 35 22

Tries Angus Dickson, Sy Waiti Evan Stafford, Rory O'Sullivan, Jack Knobben, Tamba Lebbie

Ben Syme, Soeli Vaituulala, Tamba Lebbie

Goals Jayden Hocking Jayden Hocking 3 Jayden Hocking 2

Penalties

Drop Goals

2013 State Champions: SOUTH





NORTH South 19 13 South 22 27 South 7 14 48 54 -6

Tries Toro Reedy, Steve Bereczky Sam Maurangi, Tatenda Allen, Nick Jooste Peter Vili

Goals Nick Jooste 2 Nick Jooste

Penalties Nick Jooste 3 Nick Jooste 1

Drop Goals

SOUTH North 13 19 North 27 22 North 14 7 54 48 6

Tries Declan Edwards, Blake Woodward Declan Edmonds, Ben Tata, Jonathan Savea Tahere Reha, Jonathan Savea

Goals Aaron Ruru 3 Aaron Ruru

Penalties Eli Greaves 1 Aaron Ruru 2

Drop Goals

2013 State Champions: SOUTH

JUNIOR ELITE REPORT


U15 State TourThe U15s State squad

FIRST NAME SURNAME CLUBJoshua Broughton - Spark Kalamunda

Harrison Carlton Joondalup

Denym Clarke Wanneroo

Jack Daynes Perth Bayswater

Conrad Fisher Joondalup

Christopher Gale Rockingham

Anthony Hondros Associates

Teina Jenkins Wanneroo

Oshay Jensen ARKS

Jack Knobben Mandurah

Sosifa Likio Rockingham

Tyla Love Bayswater

Thomas Masibaka Associates

Kade Pearce Joondalup

Payden Porter Joondalup

Aidan Shortall Kalamunda

Keelan Simpkins - Iti Rockingham

Benjamin Syme Palmyra

Corry Tearoa Perth Bayswater

Bitner Junior Tumanuvao Rockingham

Sioeli Vaituulala Southern Lions

Jordan Visser Joondalup

Sy Waiti Rockingham

State 15s Staff:HEAD COACH: Anare KoliavuASS. COACH: Jamie McDonaldMANAGER: Pieter BlackiePHYSIO: Stacey De Rooy

2013 Junior Gold Squad Queensland Tour Results:

Game 1, 10th April:South Brisbane JGS 55 defeated WA 3(Pen: Aidan Shortall 1)

Game 2, 11th April :Gold Coast JGS 21 defeated WA 18(Tries: Ben Syme, Teina Jenkins, Junior Tumanuvao 1;Pen: Aidan Shortall 1)

Game 3, 13th April:WA 34 defeated Sunshine Coast JGS 0(Tries: Tylah Love, Corry Tearoa, Conrad Fisher, Tomasi Masibaka, Chris Gale, Keelan Simpkins-Iti 1; Conv: Anthony Hondros, Aidan Shortall 1)

Game 4, 14th April:Brisbane North JGS 14 defeated WA 5(Try: Teina Jenkins 1)

U16 National ChampionshipsThe WA U16 squad

FIRST NAME SURNAME CLUBSteven Bereczky Wanneroo

Isaac Cavu Joondalup

Adrian Folkard Wests Scarborough

Charlie Grant Cottesloe

Nicholas Jooste Cottesloe

Jordan Kempton Joondalup

Isaiah Kuru Southern Lions

Kalib Maksimovic Kwinana

Lorenzo Mario Joondalup

Trey Moloney Palmyra

Jayden Ngamanu Wanneroo

Taine Oakley Palmyra

Sam Offer Nedlands

Torongare Reedy Joondalup

Tahere Reha Palmyra

Chad Ross Palmyra

Jonathan Savea Southern Lions

Ben Tata Palmyra

Walt Ungerer Southern Lions

Jack Weir Perth Bayswater

Peter Vili Perth Bayswater

Ethan Williams Wests Scarborough

Blake Woodward Palmyra

State 16s Staff:HEAD COACH: Dwayne NestorASS. COACH: Grant OakleyASS. COACH: Arno VisserMANAGER: Dane LazarusPHYSIO: Clare Thomson-Boston

2013 National U16 Championship Results:

Game 1, 30th Sept:NSW Schools 40 def WA 3(Pen: Nick Jooste 1)

Game 2, 1st Oct:Qld White 37 def WA 15(Tries: Isaiah Kuru, Blake Woodward 1; Conv: Nick Jooste 1; Pen: Nick Jooste 1)

Game 3, 3rd Oct:WA 31 def NSW Country 22(Tries: Lorenzo Mario, Jayden Ngamanu, Jonathon Savea 1; Conv: Nick Jooste 2; Pens: Nick Jooste 4)

Game 4, 4th Oct:Vic 36 def WA 17(Tries: Ben Tata, Jayden Ngamanu, Lorenzo Mario 1; Conv: Nick Jooste 1)

FINAL PLACING: 6th


State SchoolboysThe State Schoolboys represented WA at the Division 1 National Schoolboy Championships held at Riverview College, Sydney. Blake Phillips was selected in the Australia ‘A’ Squad.

State Schoolboys SquadFIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB SCHOOLHayden Anderson Wests Scarb. Aranmore College

Grayson Artmanni Joondalup Woodvale SHS

Auvae Auvae Palmyra Seven Oaks Senior High

Terrell Berryman Wanneroo Aranmore College

Joshua Billington Hale School

Ruban Birch Kalamunda Guildford Grammar School

Hershelle Classen Wests Scarb. Aranmore College

Kauri Cudd Mandurah Comet Bay College

Tevin Ferris Mandurah John Tonkin College

Michael Fotu Palmyra Lynwood High School

Luke Fouwler Kalamunda Mazenod College

Liam Husband Joondalup St Marks College

Aden Kambouris University Hale School

Jacob Kohinga Kalamunda Aranmore College

Tim Koiatu Wanneroo Tuart College

Lorenzo Mario Joondalup Aranmore College

Chris Miller Palmyra Kennedy Baptist College

Jayden Ngamanu Wanneroo Aranmore College

Isaiah Pedersen Southern Lions Thornlie SHS

Blake Phillips Wanneroo Clarkson Community HS

Tristan Schneider Joondalup Mindarie Senior College

Thomas Sheminant Nedlands Christ Church Grammar School

Angus Taylor Wanneroo Newman College

Michael Tui Palmyra Lakelands SHS

State Schoolboys Staff:HEAD COACH: Elwee PrinslooASS. COACH: Michael HollandMANAGER: Hayden HamiltonPHYSIO: Stacey De Rooy

2012 ASRU Div. 1 Championship Results:

Game 1, 1st July:NSW 1 69 def WA 8(Try: Kauri Cudd 1; Conv: Tim Koiatu 1)

Game 2, 3rd July:Qld 2 33 def WA 17(Tries: Michael Tui, Blake Phillips 1; Conv: Tim Koiatu 2; Pen: Tim Koiatu 1)

Game 3, 4th July:Combined States 24 def WA 19(Tries: Jayden Ngamanu, Hayden Anderson 1; Pens: Tim Koiatu 3)

Game 4, 6th July:ACT 8 def WA 6(Pens: Hershelle Classen, Tim Koiatu 1)

FINAL PLACING: 8th

JUNIOR ELITE REPORT (cont.)


Bankwest AcademyThe BankWest Academy incorporated the National Gold Squad and consisted of three levels.

The players completed three Stages to the program. The first ran from November to December and included a heavy focus on core skill. Stage 2 ran from January to April and involved core skill as well as unit and team structures. Stage 3 was a maintenance program in season running from April to September. The focus during this time was to enable all players the opportunity to train with their respective Club and School teams as well as relevant State teams.

Reviews were held at the end of each Stage and applicable exits from the program were made.

Academy Level 1FIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB

Oscar Backhouse UniversityLukas Birch KalamundaLuke Burton UniversityRichard Hardwick UniversityOliver Hoskins CottesloeKane Koteka Wests ScarboroughBradley Lacey Wests ScarboroughRyan Louwrens CottesloePatrick McCarthy UniversityHarry Scoble UniversityBruce Smith-Wright UniversityCorey Thomas UniversityKylan Yoxall Associates


Tom McCrone Wests ScarboroughChad Ramsamy PalmyraTevin Ferris MandurahLiam Husband JoondalupJacob Kohinga KalamundaLorenzo Mario JoondalupTristan Schneider JoondalupNicholas Ward PalmyraAngus Taylor Wanneroo


Benjamin Syme PalmyraCorry Tearoa Perth BayswaterBitner Junior Tumanuvao RockinghamSy Waiti RockinghamJordan Kempton JoondalupIsaiah Kuru Southern LionsTrey Moloney PalmyraSam Offer NedlandsLeighton Short PalmyraEvan Stafford PalmyraClay Uyen JoondalupJayden Ngamanu Wanneroo

National Gold SquadFIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB

Liam Husband Joondalup

Jacob Kohinga Kalamunda


Tristan Schneider Joondalup

Angus Taylor Wanneroo

Junior Development SquadTo provide additional opportunities for player development at the higher level a 10 week development program was offered to selected 16 and 17 year old players during December, January and February. The players were provided with skills development as well as strength and conditioning programs.

They received specialist coaching from all the Emirates Western Force coaches as well as the Academy coaches and State coaches.

Junior Development SquadFIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB SCHOOLJoshua Broughton - Spark Kalamunda Darling Range Sports College

Cameron Beath Palmyra Corpus Christi College

Jack Daynes Perth Bayswater Aranmore College

Christopher Gale Rockingham Safety Bay SHS

Thomas Masibaka Associates Safety Bay SHS

Finbar Gaffney Associates CBC Fremantle

Jack Weir Perth Bayswater Mazenod College

Herman Olivier Joondalup Kinross College

Steven Bereczky Wanneroo St Marks College

Isaac Cavu Joondalup Prendiville CC

Nicholas Jooste Cottesloe Hale School

Jake McKellar Nedlands Guildford GS

Michael Ninkov University Hale School

Rory O’Sullivan Associates Scotch College

Eli Greaves Southern Lions Aranmore College

Ethan Poi ARKS Thornlie SHS

Tahere Reha Palmyra Thornlie SHS

Jake Stainton Palmyra CBC Fremantle

Dafydd Williams Mandurah Mandurah Baptist


Junior Gold CupThe JGC is a national long term talent development and competition program at U15 and U17 age levels. The truly national nature of the JGC competition provides players, coaches, administrators and match officials with the opportunity to be involved in high levels of representative rugby programming and development at a National level on an annual basis whilst maintaining local/regional representation.

The scheduling of the JGC program commences in October and allows players to compete in a National competition involving 24 teams in each age group in March.

It is an evolution of the Junior Gold Program and is a key part of Australian Rugby’s “Pathway to Gold” that will provide talented players an opportunity to compete against the best in their age group across Australia.

15s Junior Gold SquadFIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB

Neli Auvae Palmyra

Lapo Bigazzi Wests Scarborough

Raekwon Edwardson Wanneroo

Jordan Fletcher ARKS

Jacob Foster-Hall Rockingham

Alex Gloster Wests Scarborough

Liam Gourlie Joondalup

Jack Hardy UWA

Dylan Hutchins Wests Scarborough

Shaun Kapene Perth Bayswater

Atu Likio Rockingham

Brody Macaskill Wanneroo

Connor McCluggage UWA

Nika Morehu Wanneroo

Ilani (Mark) Naleba Wests Scarborough

Tom Norman Nedlands

Simon Parsons Wests Scarborough

Cade-Michael Patrick Wests Scarborough

Ethan Reilly Wanneroo

Robert Ryan Rockingham

Connor Sattler Rockingham

Ethan Soden Palmyra

Marnus Spangenberg Joondalup

Joshua Spittal Perth Bayswater

Manaia Stockman-Te-Rahui Wanneroo

Solomon Stone Wanneroo

Ephraim Tearoa Wests Scarborough

Joe Tekarona

Tiago Valentim Joondalup

Sheldon Willan ARKS


Zachary Branca Perth Bayswater

Jack Daynes Joondalup

Chey-John Hatu Mandurah

Jayden Hocking Southern Lions

Anthony Hondros Associates

Jack Knobben Mandurah

Sosifa Likio Rockingham

Thomas Masibaka Associates

Rory O’Sullivan Associates

Kade Pearce Joondalup

Evan Stafford Palmyra

Corry Tearoa Wanneroo

Bitner Junior Tumanuvao Rockingham

Hendricus Van Der Heyden Rockingham


Steven Bereczky Wanneroo

Isaac Cavu Joondalup

James Darwis ARKS

Adrian Folkard Wests Scarborough

Reece Grant Cottesloe

Charlie Grant Cottesloe

Eli Greaves Southern Lions

Nicholas Jooste Cottesloe

Jordan Kempton Joondalup

Isaiah Kuru Southern Lions

Allen Maradzika Wanneroo


Trey Moloney Palmyra

Jayden Ngamanu Wanneroo

Taine Oakley Palmyra

Sam Offer Nedlands

Torongare Reedy Joondalup

Chad Ross Palmyra

Aaron Ruru Mandurah

Jonathan Savea Southern Lions

Leighton Short Palmyra

Jack Soa Palmyra

Jake Stainton Palmyra

Ben Tata Palmyra

Clay Uyen Joondalup

Peter Vili Perth Bayswater

Blake Woodward Palmyra

JUNIOR ELITE REPORT (cont.)


2013 has proven to be another tough year both on and off the field for the organisation.

The trading result for 2013 is a deficit of $857,100 which has been driven by a number of factors but predominately by not achieving our revenue targets.

The wider economic climate has impacted our results this year and whilst total revenue declined by only 5% this was boosted by the funding for the Lions game in June. All of our main revenue streams declined in 2013, with the biggest impact on corporate hospitality sales and match day ticket sales, whilst our membership revenue was low we had budgeted accordingly knowing that the team performance in 2012 was going to impact on the renewal rates.

Our commercial services costs were managed very closely and a saving of $600,000 was made. Our professional team costs were stripped back to align with our decline in revenue with only a moderate 1% increase in total.

The growth at our grass roots level is incredibly important for the future of rugby in Western Australia and our participation numbers increased again this year. We were able to invest over $1 million into grass roots rugby this year and together with the WA Junior Rugby Union we anticipate continued growth in 2014.

The non-trading non cash activity of $303,000 drove our reported result to a deficit of $1,160,490 and further impacted our already negative balance sheet. It is important to understand that the unearned revenue on our balance sheet of $2,765,922 will be bought to account as we deliver each of the homes games in 2014.

Once again the finance team has been a really great support to not only me but the entire organisation, thank you Jessica, Vicki, Jenny, Brett and Dani I really appreciate your dedication and ongoing hard work.

Maryanne WilsonChief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer’s Report


2012 2013Trading ActivityRevenueCommercial Services Sponsorship 4429.7 4301.5 Membership 2578.9 2355.3 Corporate Hospitality 3354.0 2694.8 Super Rugby 1463.2 1276.5 License Income 155.3 139.7 Functions 105.5 134.0British Lions Tour 00.0 00.0 498.9Professional Rugby 4440.7 4317.0Community Rugby 876.8 896.7Corporate Services 130.4 89.7

Total Revenue 17534.4 16704.3ExpenditureCommercial Services Brand and Marketing 585.7 713.7 Business Development 45.0 32.9 Corporate Hospitality 994.3 638.7 Membership 285.7 273.2 Sponsor Servicing 1387.3 1670.3 Super Rugby 1690.2 1326.6 Functions 329.4 237.0 Com Services (Indirect) 935.6 759.2

6253.3 5651.6Professional Rugby Professional Players 5191.3 5057.4 Strength & Conditioning 113.7 123.5 Rugby Analyst 48.3 80.0 Rugby Operations 850.3 844.8 Team Management 1605.1 1701.3 Team Medical 190.2 165.6 Team Physiotherapy 122.2 101.1 Team Consultants 174.0 266.2 Junior Elite Academy 176.0 200.9

8471.0 8540.8Community Rugby Administration 169.7 184.8 Competition 477.8 516.3 Development 290.7 252.9 Coach Education 92.3 77.7

1030.4 1031.7

Media Services 302.8 362.1Corporate Services 1748.6 1975.3

Total Expenditure 17806.0 17561.4

Trading Surplus (271.6) (857.1)

Non-‐Trading ActivityPlusGrant Revenue Forgiveness of Loan F15 -‐ non cash 00.0 30.0 Building Fitout -‐ cash 66.7 00.0 Interest benefit -‐ non cash 19.7 00.0

86.4 30.0LessExpense (Non Cash) Interest expense 109.7 108.9 Depreciation Super Suite 49.6 00.0Super Suite Disposal 00.0 72.2 Depreciation other 184.2 152.3

343.4 333.4Non-‐Trading Surplus/(Deficit) (257.1) (303.4)

Reported (Deficit) (528.7) (1160.5)

203 Underwood Avenue, Floreat WA 6014

PO Box 146 Floreat WA 6014

Telephone (08) 9387 0700

Fax (08) 9387 2804

www.westernforce.com.au

2013 rugbywa annual report

Documents

professional rugby report

community rugby report

country rugby report

marketing report

chairmans report

warura report

wasru report

dr r perry