Downs Rugby Round Up November 2014

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Monthly Agenda Downs Rugby Round Up November 2014 Welcome to the November edition of the Downs Rugby Round Up - New U19 South Qld Competition - Teenage Representative Development Squad - Referees New

1 Monthly Agenda Downs Rugby Round Up November 2014 Welcome to the November edition of the Downs Rugby Round Up - New U19 South Qld Competition - Teenage Representative Development Squad - Referees New Boss looks to 2015 (Michael Beeston DDRRA President) - TACAPS has big plans for Rugby in 2015 (Mike Gregory TACAPS) - QRU Development Officer Monthly Report (James O Keefe) - Volunteer of the Month (Elisha Elisaia USQ) Event Calendar DATE EVENT VENUE CONTACT Sat 6th December (10am-5pm) Level 1 Coaching Course Gold Park - South Toowoomba Tyrell Barker (07) Sun 14th December (9am-12pm) Downs Teenage Development Squad - Training Session 4 USQ Rugby Oval Downs Rugby Office (07) Sun 18th January (9am-12pm) Downs Teenage Development Squad - Internal Trials Dalby Rugby Club Downs Rugby Office (07) Sun 8 th February (9am-12pm) Downs Teenage Development Squad - Internal Trials Dalby Rugby Club Downs Rugby Office (07) To promote your club events, please your dates to winterm@downsrugby.com.au Downs Rugby is proudly sponsored by November 2014 Page 1

Website/Facebook Media Available - 2014 Grand Final Photos - 2014 Downs Rugby Awards Night Photos New YouTube Channel (Downs Rugby YouTube Channel) - 2014

Rugby Union Playing Opportunities Under 19 South Qld Competition Player application form on the website - For those born in the 1996 and 1997 calendar year -

2 Website/Facebook Media Available Grand Final Photos Downs Rugby Awards Night Photos New YouTube Channel (Downs Rugby YouTube Channel) Risdon Cup GF Video Highlights (now available to view for free) Join our Facebook Page (Downs Rugby Limited) to keep up to date with all things Rugby Downs Rugby Union Playing Opportunities Under 19 South Qld Competition Player application form on the website - For those born in the 1996 and 1997 calendar year - Competition runs from Feb-April 2015 Teenage Development Program For U12, U13, U14 and U16 in State championship sides selected from program November 2014 Page 2

New South Queensland U19 Competition A South Queensland U19 competition is set to begin February next year and run through until April 2015.

Country U20 which would provide the opportunity to play rugby on a national level against some quality opposition.

3 New South Queensland U19 Competition A South Queensland U19 competition is set to begin February next year and run through until April Who: Darling Downs - 2 sides Sunshine Coast - 2 sides Gold Coast - 2 sides This tournament will provide a direct pathway to selection in a South QLD U19 side and then possible selection in a QLD Country U20 which would provide the opportunity to play rugby on a national level against some quality opposition. A great component of this tournament is that all players do not have to have a rugby union background or be affiliated with a rugby club on the downs! Downs is opening up selection to all football players from all codes to see if they can attain selection. If you know of anyone who may be interested in being involved please direct them to our Facebook page and website. We look forward to having as many players as possible vying for positions. Important Points: - You do not need to be signed up for club rugby union to be eligible for selection - To keep updated with all info regarding this competition please like us on Facebook and check out our website. PLAYER APPLICATION FORM Is on our website ( if you are interested in playing in this competition, please fill out and send to; Mitchell Winter winterm@downsrugby.com.au November 2014 Page 3

Teenage Representative Development Program Update All are invited to attend the following sessions to make themselves eligible for selection in next year s Darling Downs State Championship sides (For

Open Sessions Remaining - Sunday 14 th December (9am-12pm) Breakdown (Ruck/Maul) at USQ Rugby Oval Trials - Sunday 18 th January (9am-12pm) Internal Selection Trials at Dalby Rugby Club (Must attend

4 Teenage Representative Development Program Update All are invited to attend the following sessions to make themselves eligible for selection in next year s Darling Downs State Championship sides (For boys aged 12,13,14 and 16 in 2015). Please note that boys must be playing and signed up to a Darling Downs Rugby Union Club in 2015 as a prerequisite for selection. Open Sessions Remaining - Sunday 14 th December (9am-12pm) Breakdown (Ruck/Maul) at USQ Rugby Oval Trials - Sunday 18 th January (9am-12pm) Internal Selection Trials at Dalby Rugby Club (Must attend at least one of these) - Sunday 8 th February (9am-12pm) Internal Selection Trials at Dalby Rugby Club (Must attend at least one of these) Plan After this second trial date in Dalby the squads will be shortened to 30 in each age group and then the 30 man squads will train roughly fortnightly (at this stage the plan is to train on Sunday afternoons (approx. 2:30pm- 3:45pm) when all games are played in Toowoomba). Training sessions will be confirmed at a later date to squad members and training will continue up to the State Champs in July next year. For those boys that for one reason or another will not be available for selection, there will be 5 special exemptions for each age group so the squads can go out to a maximum of 35 in each age group if deemed necessary. Special exemptions can only be granted to boys that fulfil the following; - Have valid reasoning behind not being able to attend previous training sessions and trials - Have signed up for and are committed to club footy - Can commit to the Downs Squad upcoming training/trial commitments - It is agreed upon by the coaching staff of that age group and the Downs Rugby Staff - It happens before the end of April Final Squads will be named closer to the date of State Champs in July. November 2014 Page 4

REFEREE S NEW PRESIDENT LOOKS TO 2015 Michael Beeston DDRRA President It s a pleasure to provide a referee report for Downs Rugby, my first as the DDRRA president.

The really big challenge we have at DDRRA is recruiting referee s.

5 REFEREE S NEW PRESIDENT LOOKS TO 2015 Michael Beeston DDRRA President It s a pleasure to provide a referee report for Downs Rugby, my first as the DDRRA president. In opening I would like to take the opportunity to thank Peter Buchanan, the previous president, for his tireless efforts for both DDRRA and Downs Rugby in general. I have big boots to fill. The really big challenge we have at DDRRA is recruiting referee s. We have identified a number of initiatives to both hopefully recruit new members and further develop and improve our current membership. Within the association Peter Buchanan has accepted the role of lead Referee Coach. One of Peters first jobs is to get a Referee Coaching course on the Downs so we can have more support across the board for Peter, and expand our own coaching both in the senior ranks and also within the Referee Academy. We hope to do this course in February 2015, well in advance of the 2015 season. In addition to coaching, we are hoping to also promote a swap program with Brisbane referee s which we hope will be a double header benefit for referee s and rugby as a whole on the Downs. We would like to expose Downs refs to Brisbane Rugby with some coaching from unfamiliar coaches and also have players/coaches etc on the Downs be refereed by leading Brisbane refs. Our desire is to establish some benchmarking to assist with continual improvement across our ranks. In addition to Peter s appointment, Chris Butler has kindly accepted the position of Referee Development. Chris s role will be involved with the Academy, along with the senior ranks. The Referee Academy is young, it is important to the future of refereeing, and to date is proving most valuable to the junior referees. We are sure with Chris s involvement we will further strengthen the bond between senior and junior referees and develop both groups as the season progresses. With continual improvement as a primary goal, we are hopefully well placed with Peter and Chris to take us forward. I also want to thank the following members for also taking on positions at DDRRA, like a club it takes a team to run and organize it. Brock Johnson is the Vice President, Greg Neilson secretary and Geoff Kelk is the treasurer. Richard Bright has again volunteered to do the weekly appointments, a big task in its own right. It is still some time till the start of the 2015 season, however we are sure the club presidents and coaches are planning for preseason and then the season proper. We would encourage all clubs to interact with referees, we are available to attend club training or meetings etc, we just need to be asked. We don t make the laws of the game, but we are instrumental in their application, and are therefore a good resource to be tapped into. A closer working relationship between clubs, players and referees can only benefit the game on the Downs. The Darling Downs Rugby Referees Association proudly sponsored by November 2014 Page 5

TACAPS BIG PLANS FOR RUGBY IN 2015 The Toowoomba Anglican College and Preparatory School has a long and proud history of Rugby Union producing a number of Queensland, New South Wales and

6 TACAPS BIG PLANS FOR RUGBY IN 2015 The Toowoomba Anglican College and Preparatory School has a long and proud history of Rugby Union producing a number of Queensland, New South Wales and International players. Most recently, Robbie Russell played test matches for Scotland, including the 2003 World Cup. In 2012, the Anglican Church decided to further the School s educational scope to include secondary schooling. This enterprise commenced in 2014 and by 2018 the School will offer day and boarding schooling for boys and girls from Kindergarten through to Year 12. As such, the School s Rugby Union programs are also evolving. For many years we have played in the junior Darling Downs Club competition and various schools invitational games and carnivals including the Armidale School s Rugby Carnival, where we were runner-ups in 2011, narrowly being beaten in the final minutes by Padua College. During 2015, it is our aim to further extend our Rugby programs to include teenage teams in a variety of school competitions including Rugby Sevens. We have a long standing relationship with the Toowoomba Bears Rugby Union Club and had several boys play in their teams in the 2014 teenage competition. This will continue in We will are looking forward to assisting the Inaugural Darling Downs Secondary Schools Rugby Sevens Tournament on Saturday 4 April 2015 and participating in the Downs Secondary School s Rugby Sevens Competition in Term Three. We are delighted with the interest among our girls in Rugby Sevens and will be looking to support the Downs Rugby over the next several years with promoting and developing this Commonwealth and Olympic sport with our students. We appreciate greatly the support we have received in this exciting development through Downs Rugby and Queensland Rugby Union. Mike Gregory Deputy Head of School / Teacher-in-Charge Rugby Toowoomba Anglican College and Preparatory School November 2014 Page 6

00pm Cost: $95 per participant If you would like to learn a little more about coaching rugby union, then the Foundation Coaching Course is for you.

7 DEVELOPMENT OFFICER REPORT Queensland Rugby Union Development Officer, Darling Downs - James O'Keefe James.okeefe@qru.com.au Foundation Coaching Course Gold Park Toowoomba Venue: Gold Park, Hume St, Toowoomba Date: 6 th December Time: 10.00am to 5.00pm Cost: $95 per participant If you would like to learn a little more about coaching rugby union, then the Foundation Coaching Course is for you. After attending this course you will be required to sit an online test and get assessed in order to gain your Level 1 coaching accreditation. This course covers rugby played by U13s and above. This course also incorporates Smart Rugby as well. If you would like to register please visit the below link: B325BF266D8C} Rookies to Reds Centres Planning for 2015 rookies to reds centres is well underway. If you would like to see the 5 week program at your school please contact James O Keefe. In 2014 the program has covered all areas of the darling downs with hundreds of students taking part in the program. Roma, Condamine, Chinchilla, St George, Dalby, Warwick, Goondiwindi, Gatton, Highfields and Toowoomba have seen a program run in their area in 2014 and the same will be repeated again in All participants that come along to the Rookies to Reds clinic get their own participants pack with plenty of great items along with professional coaching for the duration of the program. JUNIOR GOLD CUP 2015 The two squads of 35 for the U15 and U17 Junior Gold Cup Squads have been announced and training has started. The training so far has been of exceptional quality under the guidance of the highly skilled coaches we have on board. Plenty of learning is occurring and we are already seeing the benefits in each individual. Scheduled games are as follows: North Queensland Away Ipswich Away Sunshine Coast Away Brisbane Pink Home Brisbane Purple Home November 2014 Page 7

8 Volunteer of the Month Elisha Elisaia (USQ Saints) Why do you like volunteering? They say most coaches, trainers and even presidents in clubs are Mums or Dads and that is how it starts for many volunteers. I was no different to anyone else; I became a coach because my eldest son asked me too. I had already coached him in another code and I was really just happy to stand on the sideline as a Dad cheering (code word for yelling) at him. For me the word Volunteering was scary, I didn t want to be pushed into doing everything around the club!! BUT once I agreed to coach the reward I received back from this game has been 10 fold. I started doing other roles and this year I will do more again. It is a good feeling when other parents and I all have a common goal of giving something not only to our own children but also others, something to come to and enjoy. How long have you been involved in Rugby on the Downs? I have actively been involved with Rugby on the Downs for 3 years now. I Coach at a great club with USQ, and this year I have been very lucky to have coached my first rep team with the U13 Downs team. When my son was nine he was playing Rugby league and I came home and asked him if he would be interested in play Rugby Union,(I have always followed Rugby Union) he did say no to me, but like a good father I ignored him and took him that weekend to a junior carnival and he has never stopped playing since. Since being involved with Downs Rugby what are some of your fondest memories? What I love about this game on the Downs is watching kids improving their skills at all levels, watching players forming good friendships, watching parents happy to see their kids involved in a positive activity. Fondest memory Watching a public school kid, private school kid, an Islander kid who has never played union, a couple shy aboriginal kids new to the sport all come together not knowing each other, form a team and becoming really good friends. This all enforces to me that this game is for everyone not just a few. That is my fondest memory!! What are some of the steps downs rugby needs to take to better develop our current junior & teenage players over the next 5 years? What the downs have done this year is fantastic!! The Teenage Development Squad that has been put together is what Downs needed to do to help make our region competitive on a state level. In 5 years time we will be reaping the rewards of the decisions been made now. A couple of things I would like to see is maybe some more public school targeting, I d like to see smaller non-union school carnivals held during the year for boys and girls. I d like to see some primary schools field teams in our junior comp on a Saturday morning. Creating school based clubs. Maybe forming some teams made from different ethnic communities. We have large Sundanese and Aboriginal communities and this would be not only a great way to expand our game but also a great tool to bring communities together. November 2014 Page 8

2014 DOWNS RUGBY OFFICE BEARERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS Board Directors: Senior

Committee: Match Officials Committee Judicial Committee LIFE MEMBERS: Mike

Marty Leggat (Chair), Rob Johnston, John Gordon, Grant Gleeson and Cameron

Scott Lindblom (Chair), Jabour Hanna, Peter Buchanan and Kevin Doggett Dave

9 2014 DOWNS RUGBY OFFICE BEARERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS Board Directors: Senior Committee: Teenage Committee: Junior Committee: High Performance Rugby Committee: Match Officials Committee Judicial Committee LIFE MEMBERS: Mike Horan (Chair), Dick Webster, Mark Brownlie, Rod Hohn, Scott Mead Danielle Bermingham and Barry O Sullivan. Brock Johnston (Chair), Doug McNicholl, Mick Gall, Dom O Connor and Joel Rickuss. Malcolm Hosking (Chair), Alex Sullivan, Owen Kleidon, Dwyane McLaren, Kylie Elisha, Jason Leslie and Phil Neidler. Tadhg Sheehan(Chair), David Wigan, Nathan Bradley, Sean Rice and Matt Reen. Marty Leggat (Chair), Rob Johnston, John Gordon, Grant Gleeson and Cameron Donaldson. Scott Lindblom (Chair), Jabour Hanna, Peter Buchanan and Kevin Doggett Dave Power (Chair), Michael Beeston and Matt Howard Don Trenerry, Bill Flamsteed, Geoff Makim, David Thompson, Harry Hilder, Tess Hilder, Denis Hanrahan, Desley Hanrahan, Michael Doherty, John Handley, Gary Bloustien. Downs are proudly sponsored by: Downs Rugby Representative program proudly sponsored by; November 2014 Page 9

OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS:- Unit 11, Anzac Central, 189 Anzac Avenue,

TEAM Chris Bell General Manager M: 0409 258 966 E: Chris.Bell@downsrugby.

10 OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS:- Unit 11, Anzac Central, 189 Anzac Avenue, Toowoomba Q 4350 P: (07) PO Box 1070, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350 OUR TEAM Chris Bell General Manager M: E: Chris.Bell@downsrugby.com.au Downs Rugby Ltd MITCHELL WINTER Rugby Operations Officer M: E: Rugby MITCHELL BRADBURY Rugby Support Officer M: E: JAMES O KEEFE Queensland Rugby Development Officer M: E: James.OKeefe@qru.com.au HAMISH TINDALL Downs Rugby Intern November 2014 Page 10

Downs Rugby Round Up December 2014

Downs Rugby Round Up December 2014 Welcome to the December edition of the Downs Rugby Round Up Monthly Agenda - Senior Coaching Roles available for 2015-2014 Darling Downs Rugby Union Yearly Overview -