High hopes for college side to make its mark

Rugby co-ordinator Julian Gugenheim admitted they still had a way to go before rugby numbers reached those of football, but signs were promising.

‘We have already begun to prove our rugby pedigree, reaching a number of finals over the last two years,’ he said. ‘Our Year 8 team is currently showing a great deal of potential similar to an older team that we had up until last year.

‘It is our intention, therefore, to build a great rugby heritage at Mater Dei College that will run alongside sports such as football, soccer, basketball and netball.’

As part of the push for a strong rugby culture, the full Western Force squad ” including head coach Michael Foley ” trained at Mater Dei’s Federation Oval recently.

Force players and coaches then ran students through their paces in a number of professional drills.

‘It was great to be given such a boost with the Western Force visit and hope to have them over again next year,’ Mr Gugenheim said.