Henry and Tom Sheridan with a couple of new friends at Santa Teresa, Alice Springs
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

by Karen Watson –

The Rats may not have travelled as far as their last humanitarian rugby tour, but their impact on the rugby and wider communities of Alice Springs was no less significant. Taking over 1200 kg of donated items for remote townships with them, this was the first time Warringah had undertaken such a tour in Australia and the first time both the Rats and Ratettes travelled together.

“These tours are an important part of our rugby calendar,” said Warringah Club Captain Ryan Trbojevich, who also acted as logistics manager for the tour. “For the Club and our players to be able to help those less fortunate than ourselves through the game of rugby is what makes our tours so rewarding, not just for us as a team but also for the communities we visit.”

Bringing Rugby to Alice

CARU President Tim Blacker welcomes the Rats to Alice on their first night – Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

While an opportunity to tour Alice Springs in their 50th Anniversary year was just too good to pass up for the Rats, for Central Australia Rugby Union President Tim Blacker the thought of a Sydney premiership team playing locals on home turf was a mere pipe dream.

“In 23 years we’ve never had a Rugby team from outside the Northern Territory play here in Alice Springs and this is the first time in our history that we’ve ever had a Women’s representative match,” noted Blacker. “To have the Rats interested enough to not only come and play here, but run clinics and engage the aboriginal communities with such passion, well, it simply blew me away!”

Making A Difference In Remote Communities

Though this trip was shorter than the Rats previous tours to Cuba and Kenya, helping disadvantaged communities was still a major focus for the team, who spent time in the remote townships of Santa Teresa and Amoongunna distributing donated books, clothing and sports equipment.

“We can’t underestimate the difference we have made in the communities we visit,” observed Tour Captain Tristan Stanley. “We think because it’s in our own country that poverty doesn’t exist in the same way it does in Kenya for example, but it’s relative and I think we have made a huge impact on these indigenous communities.”

Rats centre Paul Siwinski makes a new friend
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Rats centre Paul Siwinski agreed. “To be honest, I wouldn’t say it was an eye opener because I’m aware of the poverty and hardships the rural indigenous people suffer from, but it was extremely rewarding and fun to give something back and to play with them. It adds so much more to a footy trip when there is community work involved.”

For Ratette Nat Maclarn, a school teacher, the chance to take her tour experiences back to her students and incorporate them into her lessons was a bonus. “What blew me away was this group of beautiful Aboriginal children who just loved to play and were so accepting and excited for us to be there,” reflected Maclarn. “It’s scary to think that this community in our own backyard is so underprivileged and makes me realise how fortunate we are. It makes me want to continue to support such communities – these kids have bright futures if only they have access to more opportunities.”

NT Dept. Sport & Rec Club Indigenous
Sports Co-ordinator Jim Smith watches on as
the children enjoy clinics with the Rats
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

For struggling communities like Santa Teresa, the positive impact of these visits is enormous according to Jim Smith, the Indigenous Sports Unit Co-ordinator with the NT Dept of Sport and Recreation.

“When a club like the Rats come along with these types of donations it makes things a lot easier,” observed Smith. “I don’t think any other sporting Club has done this before (in the shires).  The Rats not only came and interacted with the kids but they made the kids feel comfortable by joining in with their games, drawing pictures in the dirt, kicking footballs around.”

He added, “From a cultural point of view, the Rats players were great, interacting with the community members and showing a respect for our culture which was great to see.”

Invading AFL Heartland

As part of the five day tour, the Rats played a women’s 7s match against the Outback Chiefs and mens 15s match against representative side Alice Springs, made up of the very best talent from four local Alice Springs clubs – the Devils, Cubs, Warriors and Eagles.

For a region where AFL dominates, the hype surrounding the Rats tour generated a great deal of local interest in the sport. “The Rats impact on rugby here has been huge,” said Smith. “I’ve spoken to people who I know are AFL supporters but saw the game on Saturday and were very impressed.”

Rats pose for a photo after their match – Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Raising the profile of rugby in the NT was the most positive outcome for CARU, with Blacker noting  that in the days immediately after the Rats matches in Alice, CARU fielded over 50 enquiries and registrations to the code across men’s, women’s and junior levels.

Such was the interest, that the Chief Minister for NT, Adam Giles; the CEO of NT Rugby Union, Mark Heath; and the head coach of the NT representative team flew in especially for the game. “They were incredibly impressed with both the style of rugby but also the spirit of the game,” said Blacker. “This has certainly helped to put Alice back on the map in NT rugby.”

Women Win New Fans

Sarah Laman passes to Lynda Robertson – Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

For many of the 500 or so spectators at the newly completed Anzac Oval , it was the chance to see their first game of women’s rugby that had them through the gates early, despite the cool and wet conditions. With a side boasting four current and former Australian representatives, the Ratettes were always going to be hard to beat but the locals put up an impressive fight, despite their 31-7 loss.

“The girls from Alice were well drilled and had some good pace,” said Katie Davis. “We had to stay tight in defence and couldn’t afford to miss tackles. We knew we had to maintain possession and dominate the contact.”

Ratette forward Sarah Laman agreed. “During warm up I was pretty intimidated as they looked well rehearsed and had a bit of pace, not to mention they had 12 players and we had 8. But after I made my first hit the nerves went away and the hunger came out. The score doesn’t reflect how good they were. The try they scored was magic. They spread the ball and used their pace well. The game was played in great spirits.”

Ratettes L-R: Sarah Oxley, Katie Davis, Nat Maclarn, Danielle Meskell, Lynda Robertson, Chris Ross, Anne Rutlidge, Sarah Laman – Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Local Alice player Doris Ta’ala agreed it was an awesome game of women’s rugby, especially for Alice Springs. “Our team really enjoyed the game and we appreciate [the Ratettes] making the time to come over, they have helped us in a big way. Hopefully, the game has encouraged more females here to give rugby a go.”

Alice Evens The Scores

With rain making the conditions slippery, it was up to the men of the Alice to seek redemption for the locals and they did it in style, quickly establishing control of the game with quick pace and long kicks, ultimately defeating the Rats 22-13.

Mathew Wedlake and Ed Doyle play touch with some kids from Santa Teresa
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

“The match wasn’t really what any of us were expecting,” reflected Matthew Wedlake, who showed impressive form for the Rats upfront. “They were a big physical side and there were plenty of big shots going in – I know I’m still aching now. I think they had the edge because of their organisation and structure.”

Rats skipper Tristan Stanley agreed. “We arrived not knowing what to expect, but not thinking it would ever top the ambush we got in Kenya at game time. They were ready for us. Their prep was good, they came out firing and smashed us up in the first quarter.”

Brothers Tom & Henry Sheridan with their cousin Edward Doyle – Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Young Newport Colt Henry Sheridan, making his debut for the Rats as halfback, was certainly not showing any nerves in his first match at senior level and held his own well throughout. “The game for me was one of the best parts of the trip.  The Alice boys were great guys on and off the field and I’ve always wanted to play a game with my brother (Tom Sheridan) and cousin (Edward Doyle) so it was awesome getting to do that as well,” said Sheridan.

Local Talent Show Potential

The Rats were hampered by the last minute withdrawal from tour of some players who had to remain behind in Sydney for 7s pre-season training.  But in the spirit of what these tours have come to represent, this gave eight talented Alice players the chance to have a run for the Rats.

“It was an invaluable experience for our players to get a run in such a hyped up game,” said Blacker. “A few of our players really grabbed at the opportunity and got the attention of the NT selectors. We want this to be the start of teams looking to the Red Centre for talent. We have it here in spades.”

Alice local Jack Caspani after his debut for the Rats
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

And one player certainly caught the eye of Warringah. Young 18-year-old Alice local Jack Caspani had an impressive debut. Normally a halfback who played out of position on the wing for the Rats, Caspani’s incredible speed and flying lunge to score the Rats first try of the night was one of the highlights of the match.

“He’s definitely a kid with a lot of raw talent,” observed Trbojevich. “And he showed a lot of heart to step up and play with guys he’s never met against a team of considerably bigger size than himself.” Could there be a future at the Rats for this former Australian Schoolboys Touch player?

“The Northern Beaches is a long way from Alice and as a club we want to ensure that we make sure we manage these things in the right way,” said Trbojevich. “We want to give our players every opportunity to succeed in rugby and personally. We’ve had a quick chat to Jack and his parents, we’ll give them time to digest what we’ve discussed and if Jack wants to pursue it then we’ll more than happily discuss next steps.”

Reflecting On A Positive Legacy

For Blacker and the CARU there is nothing but positive things ahead for rugby in the NT as a result of the Rats Tour. “Having a Shute Shield Club come here and put on a good show of not only skills but sportsmanship and inclusion has already increased the interest of rugby in Alice.”

Danielle Meskell and Lynda Robertson
with kids at Santa Teresa
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Tristan Stanley agreed. “Our goal [with touring] is to grow the game in non mainstream areas and it seems we have done our part there for the NT,” he said. “The most important legacy I think we’ve left is the positive impact on the rugby scene in Alice Springs.”

When asked what the players take away from these tours, Stanley is reflective. “In terms of what have we taken away from the tour, I think it’s just that realisation that no matter how down in the dumps you get over a day at work or things not going right for you, there is always someone in a much worse position. These sort of tours bring you back to earth with a big thud and always give you a big reality check.”

The Rats acknowledge the support and generosity of our NT hosts CARU, NT Dept of Sports and Recreation, NT Tourism, the Diplomat Hotel, Alice Springs, the elders and communities of Santa Teresa and Amoongunna townships and of course the players and wider community of Alice Springs.