Protect Victoria Cup 2018 Season 2 Guide 1 October - 24 November, 2018 Welcome to the 2018 Protect What is wheelchair rugby? Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup

Thank you for being part of the fantastic sport of wheelchair rugby. Wheelchair rugby is a fast paced, tactical game for people with a physical disability Disability Sport & Recreation, Victoria’s peak body for the disability sport and that affects at least three of their limbs. recreation sector, is the governing body for wheelchair rugby in Victoria. Since its inclusion to the in 2000, wheelchair rugby’s popularity For more than 35 years, we have coordinated programs at a development, state has taken off worldwide. Australia is currently ranked no.1 in the world by the and national level to provide a pathway for people to take part in the sport. International Wheelchair Rugby Federation and Victoria proudly fielded seven of In 2017, the Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup featured the debut alignment the 12 players who won gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. of the four top rugby clubs in Melbourne with the four Victorian wheelchair rugby Played on a hardwood basketball court over four 8 minute quarters, two teams teams. battle it out using their specially designed wheelchairs to crash, block and trap We are very pleased that this led to our wheelchair rugby program being a finalist their opponents in an attempt to stop them from scoring a goal, which is achieved for Victorian Sport Development Initiative of the Year at the 2017 Victorian Sport when a player crosses the opposition’s goal line with possession of the ball. Awards. We thank Rugby Victoria, the rugby clubs and community, for their Despite its intensity, wheelchair rugby is a family friendly and accessible sport continued support of this fast growing sport. that both men and women can play. The classification system allows players with Last year also saw the grassroots development of the sport receive a major boost a wide range of functionality to compete on a level playing field. through sponsorship from ETU. This partnership allowed us to digitally broadcast the Victorian Wheelchair Rugby Classic live across two days, opening the sport to Exciting for both players and spectators alike, it incorporates elements of several those who couldn’t attend or wanted to get a taste of what the competition is like. sports including ice hockey style checking, the ball movement of basketball, the scoring of rugby and the use of a volleyball. We also thank the Victorian State Government for its ongoing contribution and Protect, as the major supporter and naming rights sponsor for wheelchair rugby. For more information on classification and the basic rules of the game, turn to To the parents, volunteers and fans who make it possible for the players to get the back of this guide. on court, and whose love of the game makes each competition so memorable: without you, there would be no sport. Finally, to the players: thank you for continuing to demonstrate that disability is no barrier to a positive life through sport. We look forward to the 2018 season of wheelchair rugby and building on the success of 2017.

Richard Amon CEO - Disability Sport & Recreation 2018 Season 2 2018 Season 2 Wheelchair Rugby Teams Wheelchair Rugby Teams

Box Hill No. Player Class Power House No. Player Class Wheelchair Rugby 2 Kadir Faki 2.0 Wheelchair Rugby 3 Josh Hose 3.0 3 1.0* 4 2.0 4 0.5 5 Christian Brackley 0.5 6 Tomas Klein 3.5 6 Andrew Harrison (C) 2.0 7 Antonio Vecchio (C) 2.0 7 1.0 8 Matt Ingram 2.0 9 Jack Watson 3.0 10 Brad Dubberley 3.0

Harlequin No. Player Class Unicorns No. Player Class Wheelchair Rugby 1 Jason Ellerey (C) 2.0 Wheelchair Rugby 1 Sean Corcoran 0.5 2 Anthony Gray 0.5 2 Bryce Alman 2.0 3 Shane Brand 1.5 4 Jayden Warn 3.0 5 Rhys Morton 1.5 5 Shae Graham 2.5* 6 Matt Lewis 3.5 6 (C) 0.5 8 William Taylor 2.5 7 Paul Angel 3.5 *Female player. Team receives an additional 0.5 allocation on court. 2018 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Season 2 Fixture

Date Ti me Team 1 Team 2 Location

7pm Box Hill VS Harlequins Monday Aqualink 1 October Box Hill 8pm Power House VS Unicorns

7pm Harlequins VS Power House Monday Aqualink 8 October Box Hill 8pm Unicorns VS Box Hill

7pm Power House VS Box Hill Monday Aqualink 15 October Box Hill 8pm Unicorns VS Harlequins

7pm Unicorns VS Power House Monday Aqualink 22 October Box Hill 8pm Harlequins VS Box Hill

7pm Box Hill VS Unicorns Monday Aqualink 29 October Box Hill 8pm Power House VS Harlequins

10.30am Power House VS Box Hill Saturday Aqualink 3 November Box Hill 11.30am Harlequins VS Unicorns

12.30pm (3rd) VS (4th) Fi nal Aqualink Saturday Box Hill 24 November 1.30pm (2nd) VS (1st) 2018 Season 2 Wheelchair Rugby 2018 Season 2 Wheelchair Rugby Captains’ Profiles Captains’ Profiles

Captain: Andrew Harrison Captain: Antonio Vecchio Team: Power House Team: Box Hill Date of birth: 7 June, 1987 Date of birth: 26 August, 1985 Classification: 2.0 Classification: 2.0 Picking up Wheelchair rugby in 2005, Taking up the sport in 2006, it didn’t take Andrew was selected for the Victorian long for Antonio to grab the Victorian state side in 2007. The same year, he was selectors’ eyes, earning a spot in the named rookie of the year. He is now a dual state squad in 2007. The next step for gold medal Paralympian, taking home the Antonio was the green and gold which top prize at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio he donned for the first time in 2010. Paralympic Games.

Captain: Jason Ellery Captain: Nazim Erdem Team: Harlequins Team: Unicorns Date of birth: 30 May, 1986 Date of birth: 1 August, 1970 Classification: 2.0 Classification: 0.5 After a snowboarding accident in 2011 left A veteran of the sport, Naz began playing Jason in a wheelchair, he took up wheelchair in 1992, and debuted for Australia in 1999. rugby as part of his rehab and hasn’t looked Naz has competed at five Paralympic back. Debuting for the Steelers in 2013, Games, winning two gold (London 2012, Jason was a part of the Australian team Rio 2016) and two silver medals (Sydney that won its first world championship gold 2000, Beijing 2008). A daredevil off the medal at the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby court, Naz was the first person with a Championships in Denmark. spinal cord injury to paraglide solo and participate in the Targa Tasmania car rally. Rules Classification

Wheelchair rugby is played on a regulation 28 x 15m basketball court with key areas at Wheelchair rugby players have a disability which affects arms and legs. Every player is the end lines and 8m-wide goal line marked by cones. Teams consist of up to 12 players: classified based on their disability is given a points value ranging from 0.5 (lowest) to four players on court, with the maximum on-court classification points totalling 8.0. 3.5 (highest).

A goal is scored when two wheels of a player’s wheelchair cross the goal line while in The following is a very basic description of each class level and what the role would be possession and in control of the ball. A team has 40 seconds to score once the ball goes in a wheelchair rugby team. into play. Class 0.5 = Main role is as blocker, not a major ball handler. Bats ball using “underhand Players with the ball are not permitted to touch the floor with any part of their body or volleyball pass” for longer range pass or for shorter range pass uses “scoop pass” with wheelchair (except for wheels and anti-tip device), and a player must dribble or pass the the ball forward to the side uses a two-hand toss. ball at least once every 10 seconds. Class 1.0 = Blocker, may in-bound ball, not a major ball handler. Forearm or wrist If your team has the ball, you cannot remain in the opposition’s key area for more than catch, and weak chest pass or forearm pass. 10 seconds and if you get control of the ball in your back court area, your team has 12 seconds to advance the ball to your front court. The ball cannot return to your back court Class 1.5 = Blocker and also may be occasional ball handler. Increased shoulder (the exception being if the opposition touches the ball). strength and stability allows for more effective and efficient pushing ball handling skills. The ball must stay in-bounds. A player is determined if he is in-bounds by his four wheels. Class 2.0 = Increasing role as ball handler, as strong and stable shoulders allows for Each team has 4 x player time-outs and 2 x coach time-outs. Either team may call for a good pushing speed on court. Effective chest pass with control over moderate distance, time-out when the ball is dead. When the ball is in play, only the team with possession but limited ball security against defense during passing. can call it. If a time-out is called due to equipment malfunction (burst tyres are common), the affected team has one minute to correct the problem. Class 2.5 = Ball handler and fairly fast playmaker with good pushing speed. Functional grip is used to advantage on the pushrim when challenged. Often can perform one- Some of the fouls a referee may call during a game: Charging, Four-in-the-Key, Leaving handed overhead pass, but limited accuracy and distance because of finger strength. the Court, Holding, Pushing, Contact-Before-Whistle, Out-and-In, Illegal-Use-of-Hands, Spinning. There are also technical fouls and offending players can lose possession of the Class 3.0 = Very good ball handler and fast playmaker, gripping wheelchair rim ball, serve time in the penalty box or be disqualified. increasing pushing speed. May have some trunk control giving better stability and with function in fingers, can control ball in varying planes of movement for passing, dribbling, catching and protecting the ball.

Class 3.5 = Often primary ball handler and fastest playmaker. Because of hand and trunk function, usually has excellent ball control with controlled one hand passing for distance and excellent ball security during passing and receiving. Thanks to all the sponsors, supporters and fans of Victorian wheelchair rugby

Love wheelchair rugby? Stay up to date with further information and match results at dsr.org.au