Sydney Subbies 2025
- Thread starter Lindommer
- Start date
The Ghost of Bernie
Allen Oxlade (6)
I'm a bit flabbergasted. I don't want to count the chickens before they cross the road.. but LCOI had 62 people at training tonight.
Odyssey_Park the 2nd
Stan Wickham (3)
2nd Div for you!
Awesome numbers!
The Wombat
Chris McKivat (8)
Crashy
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
next we'll see Fitz leave
Need a few clubs pushing into Div 2. which keeps the upwards pressure into Div 1. The post covid rebuild is happening - albeit slowly.
Great to see Penrith likely in Div 3 as well.
2026 should be a more settled year in Div 2 and 3 - which will also have benefits for the lower division teams.
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Ha! Pretty sure I'm not allowed. My wife isn't a fan of the amount of time I put into rugby, but what else am I going to do on winter weekends?
CrashBandicoot2
Frank Row (1)
Looking forward to a cracking 2025. I can see Division make ups being an issue in the next month as Subbies try to force teams with 40 players into Div 2 and leave clubs with 60-70+ in the lower divisions.
Also, If they lock your account and don't let you back in - Does that mean I was banned last year?
Also, If they lock your account and don't let you back in - Does that mean I was banned last year?
"2026 should be a more settled year in Div 2 and 3 - which will also have benefits for the lower division teams."
Repeat this line every year and just change the number at the front.
The Ghost of Raelene
Michael Lynagh (62)
I'm sure she you got a spare clipboard, tongs or boots and you can turn it into a couples weekend?
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
There's still stuff unwinding at various levels from the COVID years.
Division 1 issues largely sorted
Divisions 2-3 still having tremors
Down in Divs 4+, we're used to the chaos...
Odyssey_Park the 2nd
Stan Wickham (3)
I think we aren’t seeing the spread of those clubs across the divisions since COVID.There's still stuff unwinding at various levels from the COVID years.
Division 1 issues largely sorted
Divisions 2-3 still having tremors
Down in Divs 4+, we're used to the chaos...
There’s a lot of clubs running 2 sides with maybe a 3rd or colts but that next step to get to the numbers required for Div 2 seems to the the issue. Which leave the top end of Div 2 without enough teams for a division.
I think there will be enough teams to rotate into Div 1 each year with Forrest, Pats, Petersham & UNSW all pushing for that spot next year. But as you say it’s how you fill the middle divisions without having to wait till Rd 1 to see everyone’s numbers.
Prodigy
Cyril Towers (30)
Hey mate, was wondering when this forum would find the news. Not an omen for the club at all.
I was hoping that I'd be able to balance my Rams commitments with my family commitments as a divorced dad, but it just doesn't work anymore. I've moved further away from the club's base at Somerville Oval and the travel and time is unsustainable.
The Rams have a committed group of guys who love the club. It's a great place for your rugby experience.
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Are Grade numbers picking up?
I'm hearing some clubs are doing well on the Colts side but some of their seniors are aging out.
parkfootyenthusiast2
Herbert Moran (7)
What have you got for us Bern? A grade side in the finals? A top half finish in club champs? Some silverware!? Give us a bold prediction we can hold you to ROS.. it's what the people want
Crashy
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
Not really sure where to post - but Subbies is probably more relevant. Yesterday's SMH with a few photos of Penrith's home ground. Also mentioned the head of the Emus.
Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i has fielded some tough questions during his career, but a young player from the Penrith RSL Silverbacks Junior Rugby Union Club almost blindsides him.“What was it like to get sent off in Origin?” he asks.
Sua'ali'i politely expresses his regret for his high shot on Queensland’s Reece Walsh in game one in 2024 before dealing with follow-up questions from excited teammates. At one of union’s major outposts at Nepean Rugby Park in Penrith, it is impossible to avoid rugby league.
The challenge for rugby in Penrith is stark. Less than 10km from Nepean Rugby Park you pass the large gleaming premises of St Marys League Club. The Silverbacks have more humble origins. The club was set up in 2014 thanks to a donation of $1000 from the Classic Wallabies and some borrowed kit from the local primary school.
Last year, the area’s senior side, Penrith Emus, didn’t play any rugby after being omitted from the ACT’s John I Dent Cup, two seasons after being booted out of the Shute Shield. The Silverbacks’ best top-age grade talent had to move to other senior clubs. Under new president Adam Fletcher the Emus will return this year to play in suburban rugby to rebuild the pathway for the area’s talented juniors.
Sua'ali'i’s visit to the Silverbacks’ training session with fellow western Sydney-raised Waratah Siosifa Amone is perfectly timed. The club’s volunteers can always do with more children signing up, and they hope that the visit of the two Waratahs will help drive up their numbers ahead of a new season. Phil Malcolm is one of the club’s tireless coaches and is faced with the daunting challenge of getting local children from under 6s to under 10s to come and try rugby union when the Penrith Panthers cannot stop winning NRL premierships.
“It doesn’t help when the Panthers win four grand finals in a row,” Malcolm says. “But I live in St Mary’s and we’ve got the local rugby league clubs around there that have got three or four under 6 teams, under 7 teams, under 8 teams, and it’s like, how do we translate that across into a bigger interest into our code, as opposed to the other code.”
Sua'ali'i understands Malcolm’s challenge better than most. As an incredibly gifted schoolboy athlete, his sporting talents were in serious demand from a young age in Penrith. He briefly played for the Silverbacks in a sevens tournament at age 11 while juggling his commitments in junior rugby league for the Glenmore Park Brumbies.
While helping to run a handling drill, Sua'ali'i is asked by young players to sign Panthers jerseys. A young girl then approaches wearing a Sua'ali'i Roosters T-shirt. She tells him that the first rugby she watched on television was his Wallabies debut at Twickenham in November.
Sua'ali'i believes that while rugby league will always remain strong in Penrith, more young players will try rugby union in the future. For the first time, NSW Rugby will also appoint a designated head of community rugby specifically for western Sydney to help drive participation.
“I grew up playing league and union, and I know a lot of these kids here play league and union as well, but I just feel like the game of rugby is starting to grow a lot,” Sua'ali'i says.
“Round one [of Super Rugby] was amazing to watch, but even just the world stage, I feel like it does start from kids being able to watch it on TV, and even just little things like this, coming back to the community.
“It’s a strong rugby league area, but there’s so much potential from these kids being able to play rugby union. I just feel like there’s that next kid coming through that’s going to spark it.”
Beyond both rugby codes, Sua'ali'i also excelled at athletics and basketball, helping him develop as an athlete. The Wallabies star wants local children to have the same opportunity to develop their love of sport at their own pace and to follow the same dreams he chased.
“I feel like the biggest thing I always try to push across is everyone has their own story and their own dream of being able to do things,” Sua'ali'i says. “It could be playing AFL. I just see it as I’m a kid from western Sydney that just dreamed big, and I was allowed to play league and go play union. “And I think for these kids, I would never say just play one sport, I’d say go play all these different sports. “You could be the next NBA player, you could be the next AFL player, or it could be an NFL player, it could be anything. Honestly, it’s cool to come back and just see where I started.”
Approaching 8pm, Sua'ali'i and Amone are still out on the field signing jerseys, boots and posters. A teenage girl also offers up her white handbag for a signature. Beyond more questions about State of Origin, Sua'ali'i is also asked by an eager teenager if he has any spare change to help him buy a house. As popular as the double act of Sua'ali'i and Amone are, they are also now competing with a flavoured ice cart brought in specifically for their visit.
The majority of the children leave the field, but the two Waratahs stay and chat with parents and coaches until the sun fully sets. Sua'ali'i knows wherever he travels in the world with rugby, he is always happiest back home where his sporting journey began. “If anyone asks where I’m from, this is where I am from,” Sua'ali'i says. “You know, it’s weird, when I was walking in I was just being able to reflect and see where I am now and, you know, I was one of these kids 10 years ago.”
Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i has fielded some tough questions during his career, but a young player from the Penrith RSL Silverbacks Junior Rugby Union Club almost blindsides him.“What was it like to get sent off in Origin?” he asks.
Sua'ali'i politely expresses his regret for his high shot on Queensland’s Reece Walsh in game one in 2024 before dealing with follow-up questions from excited teammates. At one of union’s major outposts at Nepean Rugby Park in Penrith, it is impossible to avoid rugby league.
The challenge for rugby in Penrith is stark. Less than 10km from Nepean Rugby Park you pass the large gleaming premises of St Marys League Club. The Silverbacks have more humble origins. The club was set up in 2014 thanks to a donation of $1000 from the Classic Wallabies and some borrowed kit from the local primary school.
Last year, the area’s senior side, Penrith Emus, didn’t play any rugby after being omitted from the ACT’s John I Dent Cup, two seasons after being booted out of the Shute Shield. The Silverbacks’ best top-age grade talent had to move to other senior clubs. Under new president Adam Fletcher the Emus will return this year to play in suburban rugby to rebuild the pathway for the area’s talented juniors.
Sua'ali'i’s visit to the Silverbacks’ training session with fellow western Sydney-raised Waratah Siosifa Amone is perfectly timed. The club’s volunteers can always do with more children signing up, and they hope that the visit of the two Waratahs will help drive up their numbers ahead of a new season. Phil Malcolm is one of the club’s tireless coaches and is faced with the daunting challenge of getting local children from under 6s to under 10s to come and try rugby union when the Penrith Panthers cannot stop winning NRL premierships.
“It doesn’t help when the Panthers win four grand finals in a row,” Malcolm says. “But I live in St Mary’s and we’ve got the local rugby league clubs around there that have got three or four under 6 teams, under 7 teams, under 8 teams, and it’s like, how do we translate that across into a bigger interest into our code, as opposed to the other code.”
Sua'ali'i understands Malcolm’s challenge better than most. As an incredibly gifted schoolboy athlete, his sporting talents were in serious demand from a young age in Penrith. He briefly played for the Silverbacks in a sevens tournament at age 11 while juggling his commitments in junior rugby league for the Glenmore Park Brumbies.
While helping to run a handling drill, Sua'ali'i is asked by young players to sign Panthers jerseys. A young girl then approaches wearing a Sua'ali'i Roosters T-shirt. She tells him that the first rugby she watched on television was his Wallabies debut at Twickenham in November.
Sua'ali'i believes that while rugby league will always remain strong in Penrith, more young players will try rugby union in the future. For the first time, NSW Rugby will also appoint a designated head of community rugby specifically for western Sydney to help drive participation.
“I grew up playing league and union, and I know a lot of these kids here play league and union as well, but I just feel like the game of rugby is starting to grow a lot,” Sua'ali'i says.
“Round one [of Super Rugby] was amazing to watch, but even just the world stage, I feel like it does start from kids being able to watch it on TV, and even just little things like this, coming back to the community.
“It’s a strong rugby league area, but there’s so much potential from these kids being able to play rugby union. I just feel like there’s that next kid coming through that’s going to spark it.”
Beyond both rugby codes, Sua'ali'i also excelled at athletics and basketball, helping him develop as an athlete. The Wallabies star wants local children to have the same opportunity to develop their love of sport at their own pace and to follow the same dreams he chased.
“I feel like the biggest thing I always try to push across is everyone has their own story and their own dream of being able to do things,” Sua'ali'i says. “It could be playing AFL. I just see it as I’m a kid from western Sydney that just dreamed big, and I was allowed to play league and go play union. “And I think for these kids, I would never say just play one sport, I’d say go play all these different sports. “You could be the next NBA player, you could be the next AFL player, or it could be an NFL player, it could be anything. Honestly, it’s cool to come back and just see where I started.”
Approaching 8pm, Sua'ali'i and Amone are still out on the field signing jerseys, boots and posters. A teenage girl also offers up her white handbag for a signature. Beyond more questions about State of Origin, Sua'ali'i is also asked by an eager teenager if he has any spare change to help him buy a house. As popular as the double act of Sua'ali'i and Amone are, they are also now competing with a flavoured ice cart brought in specifically for their visit.
The majority of the children leave the field, but the two Waratahs stay and chat with parents and coaches until the sun fully sets. Sua'ali'i knows wherever he travels in the world with rugby, he is always happiest back home where his sporting journey began. “If anyone asks where I’m from, this is where I am from,” Sua'ali'i says. “You know, it’s weird, when I was walking in I was just being able to reflect and see where I am now and, you know, I was one of these kids 10 years ago.”
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
IMHO the presence or absence of the Emus isn't a factor here. The talent gets poached by clubs with more money, or league
Here To Do
Frank Nicholson (4)
I disagree, respectfully - options are very important. At the moment, the only option locally is league which means rugby has 0 presence in the local scene above juniors. The Blue Mountains are not a "Nepean"/Penrith club, nor are the Raptors at Mittigar or Blacktown. That's why it's important that the Emus are involved in senior rugby at any level and that's how you bolster Western Sydney. The M4 and M7 corridors are being flooded with development, making it a key area for new residents. At the moment, NRL and AFL have full license to recruit there, where rugby has been left behind since no-one has stepped up locally.
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I agree that options for players are important.
I agree strongly on the importance of the Emus being back. Critical to have as many clubs to lift participation numbers.
I disagree about your point about location being a driver.
If that were true, Emus and Two Blues would be two of the strongest clubs in Shute Shield over the last few decades. The struggles of Penrith are well known. Two Blues import talent at a rate of knots. Why?
The fact is, talented kids from western sydney rugby are often poached by bigger clubs in the eastern suburbs and northern beaches. They have access to bigger programs with more money behind them. The dedicated parents will do everything they can to help make this happen, as will the player once they can transport themselves.
However, those rugby programs have low ceiling compared to NRL; they can't offer a 16-17yo kid the incentives that Penrith or Parra could gamble on a prospect who they know might burn out or suffer a career-ending injury. The conveyor belt is wide for NRL, and their hierarchies are well organised.
Rugby's alignment simply isn't there. Otherwise we'd have one Union across the Sydney basin with pathways established and resources directed appropriately. Every club would have defined relationships and resource alignment and we'd figure out the schools dichotomy.
Lastly: the growth you reference is not from places that are traditionally aligned with rugby, league, or AFL. I know, because I'm in one of those growth areas in the northwest. If I wanted to start a cricket club or basketball league, it would be a lot easier than any contact sport.
I agree strongly on the importance of the Emus being back. Critical to have as many clubs to lift participation numbers.
I disagree about your point about location being a driver.
If that were true, Emus and Two Blues would be two of the strongest clubs in Shute Shield over the last few decades. The struggles of Penrith are well known. Two Blues import talent at a rate of knots. Why?
The fact is, talented kids from western sydney rugby are often poached by bigger clubs in the eastern suburbs and northern beaches. They have access to bigger programs with more money behind them. The dedicated parents will do everything they can to help make this happen, as will the player once they can transport themselves.
However, those rugby programs have low ceiling compared to NRL; they can't offer a 16-17yo kid the incentives that Penrith or Parra could gamble on a prospect who they know might burn out or suffer a career-ending injury. The conveyor belt is wide for NRL, and their hierarchies are well organised.
Rugby's alignment simply isn't there. Otherwise we'd have one Union across the Sydney basin with pathways established and resources directed appropriately. Every club would have defined relationships and resource alignment and we'd figure out the schools dichotomy.
Lastly: the growth you reference is not from places that are traditionally aligned with rugby, league, or AFL. I know, because I'm in one of those growth areas in the northwest. If I wanted to start a cricket club or basketball league, it would be a lot easier than any contact sport.
Here To Do
Frank Nicholson (4)
I would argue Emus and Two Blues have probably been the bottom of the totem pole, along with West Harbour, when it comes to attractiveness to talent because they're not "glamour clubs" and that is a strongly "Red Rooster line" trait. Location will never be the be-all and end-all of getting talent, but for the average Subbies player it is much more of a factor given no-one is getting paid.