Big cheers for Aussie Steelers back on home soil

West Australian

2 days ago

With fast and thunderous steel-on-steel collisions, first time spectators quickly learn why wheelchair rugby used to be called murderball.
The sound of high-speed clashes rang out almost as loudly as cheers for the Australian Steelers this week as the side took on many of the strongest teams on earth at home for the first time since 2018.
"They were all singing the national anthem at the top of their lungs and it just made me smile," Steelers star Shae Graham told AAP.
"This is the first time I've had the opportunity to represent my country and play on home soil, so it means the world."
The Aussies are looking towards the finals at the Santos Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge in Adelaide, involving 158 players from nine nations.
While the sport shares its name with rugby union, that's where the similarities end.
It was specifically designed for athletes with limb impairments and is played indoors on wooden courts with mixed gender teams.
"This is a ruthless, fast-paced, hard-hitting, full contact sport and no one cares whether you are male or female," Ms Graham, the first woman to represent Australia internationally, said.
"It's win at all costs."
Wheelchair Rugby Australia chief executive Chris Nay describes the sport as a mash-up of dodgem cars, gridiron and basketball.
With a 2024 Paris Paralympic Games bronze medal and two Paralympic golds in the trophy cabinet, his aim is for the team to be as recognisable as other iconic Australian squads and hopes greater exposure could help with that.
"Our north star as an organisation is Boomers, Matildas and Steelers," Mr Nay explained.
"Our results stack up with any of our national teams, yet no one really knows that story.
"So to change that we thought that hosting an event here every year at home is a great way to introduce the Steelers to the broader Australian public."
It's proven difficult to secure a major sponsorship partner but there are hopes that could soon change with more exposure.
"We're not just looking for a big sum of money to be jumped on the doorstep and nothing further to happen from there," Mr Nay said.
"We really know our value as a brand and as a sport and what we could bring across athlete stories and success."
The new tournament has arrived at a significant time for the Steelers, who are undergoing a period of renewal.
Six of the 12 players made their debut this year, making wins over Germany, Canada and New Zealand so much sweeter.
There's more than just bragging rights up for grabs in Adelaide, with the tournament offering ranking points ahead of the 2026 world championship in Sao Paolo which impact the draw for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games draw.
Ms Graham suffered a spinal injury in a car crash when she was 18 and took up the sport nine years later, now training six days a week on top of her job as a librarian at the Melbourne Museum.
"People don't really understand that we're actually high performance athletes, this is our job," she said.
"Wheelchair rugby is a fast-paced, full-contact, highly strategic game - it's super addictive to watch.
"It's such a great community. No one will regret giving this sport a go."