Protect Victorian Wheelchair Rugby Competition
The 2023 season of the toughest sport on wheels runs from Monday 10 July until Saturday 23 September
The Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Competition is presented by Disability Sport & Recreation through our Wheelchair Rugby Victoria program.
This is Australia's highest quality local wheelchair rugby competition featuring some of the best wheelchair rugby players in the country.
Regular season fixtures will take place on Monday nights at Aqualink, Box Hill, with the 2023 Final Series to be held at Narrandjeri Stadium, Thornbury thanks to the generous support of Clublinks.
The official 2023 Fixture Draw and Final Series dates are listed below.
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Semi Finals | Saturday 16th September
2:00pm - Melbourne Unicorns v Harlequins
3:30pm - Power House v Box Hill
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Grand Final | Saturday 23rd September
1:00pm - Harlequins v Box Hill (Senior Bronze Medal Match)
2:30pm - Junior Showcase Match
3:30pm - Power House v Melbourne Unicorns (Senior Grand Final)
Following the successful launch of our Victorian Junior Wheelchair Rugby Program, we are excited to be hosting the inaugural Junior Showcase Match prior to the Senior Grand Final.
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The Grand Final is a ticketed event and tickets can now be reserved here (please note: tickets are free but will be required for entry on the day).
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2023 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Fixture
2023 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Ladder
Position | Team | Team Name | P | W | L | D | F | A | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Power House | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 315 | 274 | 115% | 18 | |
2 | Unicorns | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 294 | 257 | 114% | 10 | |
3 | Harlequins | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 275 | 304 | 90% | 6 | |
4 | Box Hill | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 248 | 297 | 83% | 6 |
2023 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Teams
Player
Class
Jack Watson
3
Antonio Vecchio (Captain)
2
Shae Graham
2
Matt Ingram
2
Shane Brand
1.5
Brydee Moore
1
Ben Fawcett
0.5
Power House
Player
Class
Brad Dubberley
3
Andrew Harrison (Captain)
2
Nathan Bell
2
Justin Goh
2
Jason Lees
1
Scott Mackay
1
James McQuillan
0.5
Player
Class
Josh Hose
3
Lenny Redrose
3
Jason Ellery (Captain)
2
Dillan Strella
2
Bryce Alman
2
Shaun Harper
1.5
Anthony Gray
0.5
Player
Class
Jayden Warn
3
Ben Owens
3
Percy Aides
2.5
Khadir Faki
2
Rhys Morton
2
Naz Erdem (Captain)
0.5
Christian Brackley
0.5
2022 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Captains’ Profiles
Antonio Vecchio
Team: Box Hill
Date of birth: August 1985
Classification: 2.0
Taking up the sport in 2006, it didn’t take long for Antonio to grab the Victorian selectors’ eyes, earning a spot in the state squad in 2007. The next step for Antonio was the green and gold which he donned for the first time in 2010.
Andrew Harrison
Team: Power House
Date of birth: June 1987
Classification: 2.0
Picking up wheelchair rugby in 2005, Andrew was selected for the Victorian state side in 2007. The same year, he was named rookie of the year. He is now a dual gold medal Paralympian, taking home the top prize at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
Jason Ellery
Team: Harlequins
Date of birth: May 1986
Classification: 2.0
After a snowboarding accident in 2011 left Jason in a wheelchair, he took up wheelchair rugby as part of his rehab and hasn’t looked back. Debuting for the Steelers in 2013, Jason was a part of the Australian team that won its first world championship gold medal at the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Denmark.
Nazim Erdem
Team: Unicorns
Date of birth: August 1970
Classification: 2.0
A veteran of the sport, Naz began playing in 1992 and debuted for Australia in 1999. Naz has competed at five Paralympic Games, winning two gold (London 2012, Rio 2016) and two silver medals (Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008). A daredevil off the court, Naz was the first person with a spinal cord injury to paraglide solo and participate in the Targa Tasmania car rally.
Supported by
Victoria Government
The Wheelchair Rugby Victoria program is supported through Together More Active funding.
Rugby Victoria are the state sporting association for rugby union in Victoria, our competition teams are aligned to rugby union clubs.
Sponsor of the Victorian Wheelchair Rugby Cup and Victoria Protect Thunder Wheelchair Rugby Team.
