New competition, fresh faces to help bridge gap and see game flourish
Daily Advertiser Article
Good Luck to Callum & Reilly
Southern Inland's new development officers,
Reilly Waugh-Smith and Callum Redman want to boost the profile of rugby union in the region.
Southern Inland will offer a real international perspective looking to build the game.
With changes in store for the junior competition and plans to expand to have an under 18s boys competition playing alongside the senior clubs by 2027, two new rugby development officers are looking to help ensure the changes are sustainable.
Southern Inland loses around 100 youngsters each year, and rugby manager Jack Heffernan hopes new plans can help address that.
"It's a long-term process for a long-term goal of increasing our senior competition space and filling our clubs with more players," Heffernan said.
"At the end of the day, we're in a competitive marketplace, especially in towns like Wagga, where kids are playing multiple sports.
"We're in a landscape where you have rugby league, Aussie rules, soccer, basketball and touch football, so every chance we get to keep players in our sport and progress them through, we've got to try to take advantage of."
Southern Inland hasn't had an under-age competition in the senior ranks since 2013 after
a failed attempt in 2022 to help bridge the gap.
The transition plan will see under 16s remain the oldest grade in the juniors this year.
That will expand to under 17s in 2026 before the under 18s competition is created in 2027.
Players will be registered with junior clubs but play on Saturdays with seniors, while the under 16s competition returns in the junior format.
Welshman Callum Redman has joined Reilly Waugh-Smith as the region's development officers.
It's a very different environment for Redman, but he's looking forward to bringing a taste of home to the region.
"The main thing I've noticed is the competition between rugby league and AFL, obviously that's not something we have in Wales," Redman said.
"The only main competitor we have is football, well soccer.
"Competing with all those different sports is another barrier to add to it, but it makes the whole point of development more exciting."
Waratahs product Corey Toole, who went on to star for Australia on the international sevens stage before linking back with the ACT Brumbies, is an example of what the pathways can offer.
Redman feels Southern Inland's strong connection with the Brumbies is one thing the region already has working for them.
"I think seeing us with us with that logo on our chest and representing them is an inspiration in itself as a role model," Redman said.
Waugh-Smith wants to use his experience transitioning to the sport in the role.
He first had a taste of rugby union at school after mostly playing rugby league.
"For me, it's engaging a sport and a community that has given so much to me, so the opportunity to pay that forward is really special in my eyes," Waugh-Smith said.
"There's a big gap that needs to be bridged between the two sports, and I think part of that just comes from exposure.
"I think being able to expose kids not just to the sport, but the community side of things, the ideals of sportsmanship and respect are massive driving points to get more kids included in the sport."
