Ealing Trailfinders Announces Two Australian Partnerships
Rugby club teaming up with Sydney side and Rocky Elsom's old school
Ealing Trailfinder's will work closely with Northern Suburbs
Ealing Trailfinders has announced two significant new southern hemisphere partnerships. It is teaming up with a Sydney based rugby club and a Brisbane college that have both produced a host of the top names in Australian rugby.
Australian Shute Shield club, Northern Suburbs, has a rich history, producing 42 Wallabies, including Al Baxter, Adam AshleyCooper and Scott Sio. The club fields five senior sides every weekend and has a strong academy and youth setup.
Their season runs from April to September and the first team is currently in the semi-finals of the Shute Shield, having already secured the Minor Premiership. They will face Gordon this Sunday (28 August) for a place in the Shute Shield final.
The partnership will focus on the clubs’ men’s and women’s academy programmes. As part of the agreement, players on the Trailfinders Rugby Academy Programme who coaches feel would benefit from extra game time in a new environment, will have the opportunity to travel over to Sydney and play for Northern Suburbs during the UK off-season.
This player exchange will be a two-way relationship, with the opportunity being replicated for North’s players to have the chance to play rugby in the UK. The partnership will also see coaches being able to share knowledge with each other and will help increase the development of men’s and women’s academy players.
Jack Burey, Northern Suburbs Executive General Manger, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with such a progressive and dynamic professional outfit. We look forward to welcoming a number of personnel to North Sydney Oval & providing an opportunity for players to continue their development. We have no doubt both parties will be richer for the experience on and off the field.”
Simon Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of Ealing Trailfinders Academy and Women’s Programme, said: “We’re delighted to be able to partner with such an impressive club who are at the heartbeat of rugby in Sydney. From my recent trip there, I was bowled over by the standard of the facilities, playing surface and the welcoming, community feel of the club.
"It was great to meet Andrew Brownhill (Director of Colts) and Zac Beer (Head Coach). Andrew has such enthusiasm for developing young talent through the grades and Zac is highly regarded in the game, which shows from the success they are having on the field.
“The partnership will be such a great opportunity for our young players to gain new experiences and they should all come back not just better players, but better people.”
At the same time there is also a new strategic partnership with Australian school, St Joseph’s Nudgee College.
The Brisbane based day and boarding school, caters for more than 1,700 students, with over 300 boarders, and has produced 27 Wallabies, including Rocky Elsom, Elton Flatley and James O’Connor.
Ealing Trailfinders teaming up with top Australian rugby school
The Nudgee College Rugby program consists of 90 coaches supported by a wealth of rugby knowledge which is complemented by a strong Strength & Conditioning program and medical professionals. These world class facilities made it the ideal backdrop to the documentary ‘The Season’ which was filmed in 2017 and again in 2021 and aired on streaming services as well as acknowledged by internationally known RugbyPass.
The partnership between Ealing Trailfinders and Nudgee College Rugby will give opportunities for students to play and gain experience in high level rugby programs internationally whilst continuing their schooling. Both the students and the two clubs will benefit from a cross-over of knowledge sharing amongst the coaches and staff.
Sean Graham, Nudgee Rugby Director, said, “We have a growth mindset in all areas of school life and are constantly striving for improvement. To be able to connect and collaborate with an organisation like Ealing Trailfinders, who share such a rich history and similar values, is something I fully embrace. We have a large rugby program with nearly 800 players and 90 coaches, the more opportunities we can provide for our players and coaches, particularly of this quality, the better”.
He spoke of his time with Simon Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of Ealing Trailfinders Academy and Women’s Programme. “Simon spent a week at our school last week and we are completely aligned on the possibilities that this partnership will bring to both organisations and can’t wait to watch it flourish.”
Sinclair said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to partner with St Joseph’s Nudgee College. From meeting with their Rugby Director Sean Graham, understanding his coaching philosophy and being shown round their facilities, I’m hugely excited to get started with this partnership.
“Their rich history and consistency for producing such high quality athletes is unrivalled and it will be great to work with one of the most successful rugby schools in Australia.”
Trailfinders welcomes Italian side Zebre to Vallis Way on Saturday 3 September for a pre-season friendly before commencing its Championship campaign with a home game against Doncaster Knights the following week.
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August 25, 2022