Matt shares below his rugby journey which began playing for Newport juniors and has taken him to playing professional rugby and all the way to the highest level – Wallaby honours.
He is currently playing for Pau in France. A big thanks to Matt for his time. Hope you enjoy his interview .
Matt has expressed how keen he is to get back to Newport later in the year . He has offered to come down and meet the juniors and help out where he can. Legend !
Q 1
Tell me about your rugby journey?
My rugby journey started with the Newport breakers for the under 11’s back in 2004 when a mate asked me to come down and join a practice one day after primary school at Bilgola Plateau. Growing up playing soccer, after my first taste of rugby I have never looked back since! Sunday arvos down at porter’s reserve and the annual state championships with the Warringah Rat’s very quickly became highlights in my calendar. We were a very strong team on and off the field with some great characters and the management (Mum’s and Dads) were all unreal people to be around. My love of rugby followed me through to high school at St Augustine’s college in Brookvale, our home ground being the very familiar rat park! I was fortunate enough to have some of my Newport rugby mates with me at St Augustine’s so our team practices now ranged from Thursday nights to every lunchtime at school and even the occasional missed class here and there! In 2012 I was selected in the Australian Schoolboys team who went on the defeat the New Zealand Schoolboys team that year over in Aukland, this was when I probably first started to consider that a future in sport may be a possibility. After school i made the decision to join the Manly colts program as a lot of school mates were going to be there and was lucky enough to be involved in the Under20 world cup in New Zealand in 2014 for Australia. I then played in the NRC competition for the Sydney stars and later on started my Grade career in 2015 for Sydney University in the Shute shield. In 2016 I debuted for the Western Force in Super Rugby and this is where my professional career began…
Q2
What is your fondest memory of playing at Newport Juniors?
My fondest memory for Newport Juniors was the Father and Son trip to Fiji! This was a trip that was filled with laughs from the start to the finish enjoying the culture of Fiji while also playing the locals in some rugby! I’m sure that the Dad’s had just as much fun as us kids!
Q3
What advice would you give to an aspiring junior rugby player at Newport
My best piece of advice for an aspiring jnr rugby player would be to simply just enjoy it! Enjoy the training, enjoy the games and enjoy all the laughs that come with the sport! I genuinely believe that if you are happy doing what you are doing then anything is possible in terms of goals and achievements. My father Big Russ and the people that surrounded us at Newport made it a very enjoyable and memorable time and is a big part of why I am so competitive today as i just love being around the rugby environment!
Q4
How do you keep focussed. You must have had days or moments when you were disappointed. Either you were not picked, or something did not go your way.
How do you stay focussed and keep the belief in a super competitive environment?
Professional sport can definitely have its ups as well as its downs. If you take things such as a loss, then turn them into a learning this is only going to make you better for the next time! Loss’s and disappointments are a huge opportunity for personal growth on and off the field so I think if you can see that then you are definitely heading in the right direction!
Q5 What is the funniest moment you have had playing rugby
The funniest moment for me was one Sunday afternoon down at porter’s reserve. One of the all-time characters we had in our team was our big, tough and powerful tight head prop named Troy Smith. Smithy was a beast around the field and would strike fear into the hearts of the opposition, nothing would stop him except for one day him coming over to the sideline and announcing to the crowd that he could no longer play today because of a groin Rash!
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https://www.newportjuniorrugby.com.au/registration/
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Matt shows the right way to catch a rugby ball – “W’s Up”