Timeline for the Western Force

Early in September 2004 SANZAR officials deliberated over the future of their professional Rugby product – Super Rugby.

The Australian delegation pushed hard for the expansion of the competition, the South Africans were neutral and initially New Zealand were keen to down grade from a 12 team to 10 a team competition. After much consternation the Australia’s produced a plan which had South African support and New Zealand’s agreement.

So the idea of Super 14 rugby was born, only after a presentation to major backers Fox Sport who accepted the increase in competing teams from 12 to 14 did it become a reality. They also accepted a five year deal which despite the increased number of teams still gave a greater financial base for the competitors and the competition itself. The package also included an extra three international test matches between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa bringing the world class Tri nation’s Rugby series to nine games.

The delivery of the new Australian Super 14 team was completely controlled by the ARU. Although Australia unlike South Africa and New Zealand does not have copious amounts of provincial sides, however it had the strength and desire to grow the game though out Australia. A show of financial strength from the Victorians and the people power from Perth led the ARU to decide, after much media hype, to award the prize to the West last November.

This gave the new franchise nearly two years to prepare itself for its place in the new competition.

This period was required to build a new force in Australian Rugby. Against the wishes of the ARU, the employment of a non-Australian, but a very successful New Zealand coach in the form of John Mitchell by the Rugby WA. This decision in early February laid the foundation stone for a new style of Australian Rugby. Using his trademark Maverick approach, John Mitchell sought allies who have proven to be instrumental in the make up of a very powerful combination of sportsmen.

John Mulvihill a competitor for the top coaching position saw this as an opportunity for him to elevate his status, so in March he accepted an offer to manage the Perth Rugby Academies and an assistant coach position in Western Australia. His influence has entices many Queenslanders cross the country for a new life.

Then in early April, when Perth’s Number One signing, Wallaby Brendan Cannon made the transition, so did the present North Sydney coach Ben Darwin to the position of forwards coach of the Perth based team, these signings signalling the start of the migration of elite Sydney based player’s to the more pleasant Western Australian climate.

The playing squad has almost come together, just as the off field recruitment has. First to be announced was the very experience and proactive CEO Peter O’Meara in early March setting a solid platform, which has attracted ex-Wallaby Mitch Hardy in a local competition management role and the ABC television news reader Tom Baddeley as the Media and Communications Manager.

RugbyWA had 8 full time staff in 2004 and now it has nearly 50.

The continual signing of players from day one, the announcement, in April of the “Western Force” as the teams name, in early July the first glimpse of the uniform with the popular Emirates Airline helping the Force to lift off and the release of the membership packages could not happen quickly enough for all the Rugby fans in Western Australia (and rumour has it, in Sydney, where a supporters group has already formed).

The most important part of this unique organisation is the players – the first signing was Brendan Cannon, a Wallaby, a front rower and a tenacious competitor. He set a standard which was raised almost immediately with the employment of the founding Captain and Wallaby lock forward, Nathan Sharpe.

The players have just kept coming and the Reds, the Waratahs and the Brumbies officials have all been worrying in varying degrees about the possible desertions. Many milestones have been achieved in the recruitment process, such as, exciting young New South Wales pivot Lachlan Mackay agreeing to terms, in April along with his probable half back partner, Wallaby and Brumby Matt Henjak making his decision in June to provide the link to the forwards.

This link to the forwards may very well be though a fellow Brumby, Scott Fava, the powerful number 8 who could be at the base of possibly the largest Australian provincial pack, which may include three Wallabies in Cannon, Sharp and veteran West Australian lock forward John Welborn, who has returned from France to finish his career at home. Powerful Australian ‘A’ centre, Junior Pelesasa who signed in May, will lead a young, vibrant and talented backline that may contain future Wallabies such as Australia under 21 players Cameron Shepherd and Digby Ioane.

The starting team may look something like this:

Remaining squad members:

Richard Brown (Queensland ‘A’), Vitori Buatava (Breakers, Gold Coast), Pek Cowan (Warringah, Sydney), Luke Holmes (Warringah, Sydney), Alexander Peden (Canberra Vikings, ACT), David Pusey (Munster, Ireland), Tahjon Smallman-Mailata (Brothers, Brisbane), Brett Stapleton (ARU National Talent Squad), AJ Whalley (Warringah, Sydney), Matt Windle (Breakers, Gold Coast).

Key - previous club or province in brackets and * denotes a Wallaby.

Within the remaining squad members are young men who are the future of Australian Rugby, such as sprinter Brett Stapleton (the fourth fastest person in Australia over 100 metres), Pek Cowan a 19 year old, 100kg prop forward and Richard Brown a large, mobile, young flank forward.

This team will walk out onto its home ground of Subiaco Oval, already nicknamed the “Force Field”, for its first game of the Super 14 competition in early February 2006 against, the most successful Australian team in recent times, the ACT Brumbies. This will provide excitement for most Australian Rugby supporters in Perth, as the Brumbies would have had their support for the last 10 years in the superseded Super 12’s competition.

Russell Peart hosts Rugby Radio at 9:00am (Perth Time) every Sunday morning. You can tune in by switching the dial to 89.7FM or online via the TwinCities FM website.