Players from as far afield as Tasmania dropped by Dapto recently to trial for the Australian Deaf Rugby Union team.
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Upwards of 30 male players and about 15 female players dropped by Dandaloo Oval on Saturday to take part in the open trials, much to the pleasure of Australian Deaf Rugby men's team coach Dave Kearsey.
A 20-strong men and women's side will be picked to represent the Australian Deaf Rugby Union team in South Africa later this year.
This August Australia will compete in an Invitational Tour against South Africa, England, NZ, Fiji and Zimbabwe.
The competition will be Men's 10-a-side and Women's 7's. Australia is taking both sides to compete.
"We had a good turnout and some quality players drop by Dapto, which was great," Kearsey said.
"It's my job now to take all that information back and then I get the task of making the phone calls or the emails or the text to say to either change someone's life and tell them that they're in the side or unfortunately they might have missed out.
"I'm giving myself a few weeks to figure that out because it's a very important decision.
"But I've got the luxury of having a few headaches, which is a good thing I think."
Kearsey was also extremely happy with the support he received from local clubs Avondale Wombats and Tech Waratahs.
"Unfortunately some local players here in the Wollongong area couldn't make the trial due to various reasons but they'll get another opportunity later when we hold trials on the Gold Coast," he said.
"What I will say is that the trials in Dapto were great and we had a lot of support from clubs to ensure everything ran smoothly.
"There's every chance we will drop by this neck of the woods again. The talent pool is here and there are a number of quality clubs in Sydney and the Illawarra region.
"So we definitely intend to come back to explore the option for deaf and hard of hearing ruby players down there a bit more.
"We are able to do this thanks to the support we receive from Rugby Australia.
"A member of Rugby Australia dropped by Dapto, which was great to see.
"We look forward to working with them to grow the catchment area of Sydney and the Wollongong areas."
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
