Tournament One was hosted by Disability Sport and Recreation. The event ran from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 March at the Caroline Springs Leisure Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. Five teams competed, Victorian ‘Coloplast’ Thunder, NSW GIO Gladiators, Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Wheelchair Rugby Squad, Enforcers and Spartans. Players came from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
A total of 34 players competed, including nine rookies new to the development series. Many people also assisted with the smooth running of the event over the weekend. There were fourteen officials including referees and a classifier. There were also eight support staff, such as mechanics, team managers and coaches, who offered their assistance to all the teams during the Tournament.
The new format allowed for more games and greater court time for both players and referees. As part of the development spirit, many coaches regularly rotated their players to allow as many of the players, especially rookies, to get good amounts of playing time on court.
There were 10 minor round games and the top four finishing teams went on to compete in the final series on Sunday. After some very tight finishing games in the minor rounds, the Enforcers finished in top spot, Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Wheelchair Rugby Squad in second, Victorian ‘Coloplast’ Thunder in third and Spartans rounded out the final four.
The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Wheelchair Rugby Squad (55) went on to take out Tournament One against the Spartans (41), while Victorian ‘Coloplast’ Thunder (45) took out third spot over the Enforcers (35).
Of exceptional note were the 3 rookies with 0.5 classification, who were on court at the same time in the grand final game of the Tournament. The rookies put in every ounce of effort to win Tournament One.
For the complete results please visit www.nwrl.sportingpulse.net.
Preparations are now underway for Tournament Two being hosted by Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association at Boondall Sport Centre, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Friday 25—Sunday 27 May.
Australian Athletes With a Disability would like to thank the Australian Paralympic Committee and Telstra for their ongoing support of wheelchair rugby.
Last Modified on 07/03/2012 16:47