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Wheelchair Rugby Nationals. Two players are reaching up to a ball in the air. Standing in front of them is an unpire with a whistle in their mouth.

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.

​

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).

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
Ladder

2023 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Teams

Box Hill Rugby Union logo

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 Rugby Union Melbourne logo

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

Harlequins logo

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

Unicorns Rugby Union logo

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

Teams

2022 Protect Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup Captains’ Profiles 

Antonio Vecchio is smiling towards the camera, has short dark hair and is wearing a blue and purple Protect jersey.
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 is smiling towards the camera, has short blonde hair and is wearing a yellow jersey.
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 is holding a trophy and smiling, he has short brown hair and is wearing a blue, maroon, green and black Protect jersey.
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 at Rio 2016, he is smiling towards the camera proudly holding up a gold medal and is wearing and green and yellow Australia jacket.
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.

Captain's Profiles

Supported by

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Victoria Government

The Wheelchair Rugby Victoria program is supported through Together More Active funding.

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Rugby Victoria are the state sporting association for rugby union in Victoria, our competition teams are aligned to rugby union clubs.

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Sponsor of the Victorian Wheelchair Rugby Cup and Victoria Protect Thunder Wheelchair Rugby Team.

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Supporting the development of grassroots wheelchair rugby in Victoria.

Supported by
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