NSW Waratahs help train the next generation of union stars
Rooty Hill Western Raptors Junior Rugby League Club treated to a special clinic run by the NSW Waratahs in Hassall Grove.
The Standard
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NSW Waratahs lock Senio Toleafoa and five of his teammates spent an afternoon teaching Mt Druitt junior rugby players the finer points of the game on Tuesday.
Waratah’s Rob Horne, Ryan McCauley, Irae Simone, Matt Sandell, Brad Wilkin and Michael Wells ran a special clinic with 150 kids from the Western Raptors Junior Rugby Union Club.
Toleafoa grew up in Bidwill and still lives just down the road from Mittigar Reserve in Hassall Grove.
Toleafoa said he had been pushing NSW Rugby to hold more clinics in western Sydney.
“I kept giving them the word up and told them, ‘we need to target out west,’” Toleafoa said. “So when they decided to do it I jumped in on that.
“I was really surprised with the turn out and I was really impressed with their skills. We should do these things more often.
“I just want to show that a kid from Mt Druitt is able to compete in the highest level in NSW and win.”
The passionate player said he had already started pushing for another western Sydney clinic.
The workshop was one of five conducted around the state this year by NSW Rugby.
The organisation has recently undergone a restructure which has seen the professional (NSW Waratahs) and community (NSW Rugby) arms joined back together.
One of the new organisations key objectives is to strengthen rugby development across NSW
The 23-year-old rugby player has had a long history with the sport including stints with the Samoan under-20s, the Shute Shield, Parramatta Two Blues as well as the Western Sydney Rams in the inaugural season of Buildcorp National Rugby Cup this year.
He also joined the Australian U20s alongside Waratahs teammates Tolu Latu and Jack Dempsey in 2013.
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