The Keech Australia Fighting Miners have been putting in the hours in the lead-up to the Bendigo Goldfields Rugby 7s.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dave McDonald has taken on the role of coach for the first time this year, and brings years of playing experience in New Zealand and Australia to the club.
“This will be my first time coaching, but I’ve played in some good teams over the years and have participated in various rugby programs,” McDonald said.
“So I’m confident and have a fair idea of what I need to do.”
McDonald has no concerns transitioning from a playing role to a coach as there are plenty of senior players on the squad for the weekend which provide the team with “positive inputs”.
“Most of the boys have played plenty of rugby throughout their lives, so they know what they need to do,” he said.
“We will run some hard lines and hopefully get a few wins.”
Rugby 7s is a modified version of rugby union, teams are made up of seven players per side, playing two seven minute halves in comparison to the normal 15 players per side and 40 minutes halves.
McDonald said rugby 7s was more “fast-paced” than regular rugby and game-play involved more passing.
“The focus is on player endurance as it’s full-paced sprinting for the entire match,” he said.
In the lead-up to the tournament he has been focusing on his players passing techniques and on-field running lines and developing a solid game plan for their matches.
But above all, The Miners are out to “have a bit of fun”.
McDonald declared they weren’t the “fastest team out there”. However, they are going to put in their best effort against teams which have travelled far and wide for the tournament.
“Some of the teams come from the premier league and some have flown over from Fiji, so they will be pretty sharp,” he said.
“We’ll be right, we’re here to have some fun.”
Steve Reynolds will be representing The Miners in the tournament, playing a game he has been surrounded by since he was 6-years-old in New Zealand.
“My old man and older brothers love the game, I started playing when I was young and have loved it ever since,” Reynolds said.
Majority of Reynolds’ playing experience is within rugby union, but his skills as a player easily translate to the rugby 7s format.
“I’m a quick learner and all the basic aspects of rugby 7s are the same as union. Such as passing, running and tackling,” he said.
Reynolds looks forward to the challenge of playing an array of teams, each with different strengths.
“We’re all really looking forward to it, there will be a lot of boys out there trying their hardest,” he said.
Matt Boyle will also represent The Miners, and brings with him 23 years of on-field experience.
“Where I grew up AFL didn’t really exist, rugby union was the only sport to play in Canberra,” Boyle laughed.
“I love rugby union, it’s God’s game.”
“Good hard contact, it keeps you fit, above all it’s fun and is a great social network.”
“When I came to Bendigo, it was a new place for me and joining the rugby team was a great way to meet plenty of people.”
Boyle said to host the tournament would help put Bendigo and rugby in Victoria on the map.
“It really builds the profile of the sport in Bendigo and is important for the future of rugby in the city,” he said.
He said spectators at the tournament would be in for a great show.
“Rugby 7s is a fantastic way to give people an insight into the sport,” Boyle said.
“It’s exciting and captivating to watch and it’s amazing to see the type of folk who come to watch the rugby 7s.
“People come out of the wood-work to watch, some we have never met before and from time-to-time we end up picking them up for next season.
“It’s a good way of getting new players into our club.”
The Goldfields Rugby 7s is the largest tournament of its kind in Victoria and will see more teams compete than ever before.
More than 45 teams will be competing at the two-day tournament with senior mens, senior womens, junior boys and junior girls teams vying for a slice of the $10,000 prize pool.
The tournament will also include a women’s exhibition match between the CFA and Victoria Police “Vikings” on day 1 at 12:40pm on Field 1.
CFA CEO Paul Smith said it was an opportunity to promote the involvement of women in sport and a chance to spread important fire safety messages in the lead-up to bushfire season.
“We look forward to the weekend and encourage the Bendigo community to come and enjoy the games and have a chat about fire safety season,” Smith said.
Victoria Police Rugby Club president Barry Randal said the Vikings were coming off a great result at the recent Australian Police Rugby Union Championships in Wollongong.
“They went through undefeated and beat NSW in the final to win the National Championship,” Randal said.
“The police rugby club began developing our women’s program in late 2016 for the World Police & Fire Games last year in California.
“We want to give opportunities to our women and rugby is a great avenue for us, especially working in such a high stress job.
“Rugby provides some great travel opportunities for events in Australia and overseas. It’s a good outlet and stress release for our players and is a great way to build friendships and develop camaraderie with other agencies.”
The Bendigo Goldfields Rugby 7s is free entry and will be held at Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve this weekend, with play commencing at 9am on Saturday.
Majority of finals will take place on day 1, with the men’s senior final to take place on day 2 at 12:40pm on Field 1.
The Fighting Miners will be competing within the Senior Men’s category and have been drawn in Pool A.
The Fighting Miners Fixture
- Day 1
11:40am Field 1: The Fighting Miners v Melbourne Uni
1pm Field 2: The Fighting Miners v Island Breeze
3pm Field 1: The Fighting Miners v Atkinson Ceylon
- Day 2
9am Field 2: The Fighting Miners v Melton Maroon
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
