Wheelchair Rugby Series Reaches Finale
The National League title will be decided in Sydney this weekend.
JULY 20, 2024.
The final round of the Wheelchair Rugby National League got underway in Sydney on Friday and will continue through the weekend, with the champions to be announced on Sunday after the completion of all matches.
While some of the stars of the sport are missing in action this weekend as they prepare for the Paris Paralympics, HER WAY went along on Friday and found the quality of play just as exciting, skillfull and tough as ever.
Across Division 1, there are a number of female and non-binary players taking part who are just as aggressive and talented as their male counterparts. Robyn Lambird from Box Hill and Lilliana Prucha from the Bond Uni team have both had a taste of playing for the Aussie Steelers, while New Zealand international Jacinta Richardson was a star for University of Queensland on day one.
There are also Division 2 matches taking place, with former Athletics star Brydee Moore representing the women in the Victoria Thunder side.
If you’ve never seen Wheelchair Rugby, you can expect to see strategy, aggression, skill and plenty of scoring. There’s also collisions which at times leave these hardcore athletes on the floor, plus there’s the occasional need for wheelchair tyres to be changed mid-game. In the past. Wheelchair Rugby has been dominated by male athletes, however it’s starting to change, evident by the fact the Australian team for the Paris Paralympics features a record three women.
Ben Newton, a Paralympic gold medallist with the Steelers who now assists the national team in a coaching role, believes having talented female athletes playing the sport is not about satisfying a gender quota, but has strategic benefits for the team;
“Tactically, the way the rules work with female players, it’s an advantage as well. If you can get the right group of athletes together on the court at the same time, it can be a huge advantage.”
The Wheelchair Rugby National League is being played in a new complex at Alexandria in Sydney’s inner city across the weekend and entry is free.