Woollahra Colleagues Colts

In 1997 the NSWSRU introduced a Colts Competition into the Club Championship of First Division Subbies Rugby. Each First Division side was mandated to enter a team comprised of players 21 and under for competition in conjunction with the established Kentwell, Burke, Whiddon, Judd and Sutherland Cups, to contend for the Barbour Cup.

Having no juniors to source players from the mighty Blue Giants faced an arduous task to field a team of youngsters, especially after so many players had used 1996’s rousing success as a swansong of sorts. Player numbers were depleted, and yet we needed to find more – and from a pool that we had never tapped before.

Club President Toby Lawson handed the reigns of the newly formed Colts side to Club Stalwart and Super-Coach Brian Wood (Woodsie Snr).

Woodsie Snr, had lead the Whiddon Cup to an improbable 16-3 victory over the previously undefeated Mosman side in the previous years Grand Final, and was set to retire but the prospect of moulding some young rugby players into his own likeness proved to appealing to walk away from.

He turned to his son Ben Wood (Woodsie Jnr) for assistance in fielding the team. Woodsie Jnr had been involved with the Club for as long as his father, ballboying since he was 5, cooking snags, working behind the bar (serving soft drinks of course) and anything else that needed doing at Blue Giant Park.

Woodsie Jnr grabbed his Sydney Boys High School teammates, who spurned their lucrative offers from Premiership Clubs, and chose to stay together and don the famous Sky and Navy of the Woollahra Colleagues.

Peter Minucos, David Whyte, Mark Walton, Alan Copeland, Shem Pearson (a uni friend of Peter’s) Guy Olian and Daniel Fitzgibbon. Formed the nucleus of the inaugural Nuts and Bolts outfit.

Obviously lacking somewhat in numbers, Tim Booth (Boothie) and Woodsie Snr approached Easts in regard to skimming some of the Surplus Colts they had to fill in the numbers, and for the first game ever of Colleagues Colts, Boothie and Woodsie Snr drove a bus full of Easts 3rd and 4th graders from Concord Oval to Boronia Park for our first ever game against Hunters Hill.

The Woollahra Colleagues Colts were born. A 22-7 loss was the result that day, a fair showing for a bunch of guys who had never met each other before.

Gradually the legend of Blue Giant Colts grew and more and more players flocked to Woollahra No.2 for a taste of the action. Easts players started crossing the Golf Course in droves, and over the next few years we had secured the likes of Michael Wydeman, John Sharrer, Alex Wade, Adrian O’Connor and many more.

The first year was full of ups and downs, some quality international stars graced our shores, but it was difficult to get the same 15 blokes on the paddock week in week out.

We finished 8th in our inaugural season.

With that as a platform 1998 was supposed to springboard us into the Upper Echelon of the competition, sadly this didn’t eventuate.

Injuries to critical players (see Woodsie Jnr), and the departure of some of our international players left us with a difficult assignment for the new season. We struggled to field teams, and when we did, we were often not competitive.

Occasionally eeking out a victory, and gaining forfeits against teams who could not field a team, an ironic twist of fate occurred in that the points gained by the Colts in 1998 saved the Club from relegation, a fate that would’ve seen the Colts disbanded, as at that time there was no Colts in 2nd Division.

A bright spot on a dark year was the emergence of Colts Captain Peter Minucos, his stellar play garnered the attention of some of the Top Grade coaches, and he was clearly earmarked as a player of the future.

The arrival of Sam Meares from Sydney Uni provided the perfect complement to incumbent inside center Matt Ross, and established the most feared center pairing in the competition. Horror knee injuries to both men, however ended the slight resurgence before it had really begun.

1999 started slowly, a carryover from the year before. That all changed when we received an influx of players from the Waverley College ranks - Damien Dunn, Robert Rush, mates of Micky Wydeman’s Tom Bourne and Ro Shah and a handful of others, those quality players coupled with some tremendous British Imports – Hamish Morrison, Blair Abyss, Jason Keen and Tommy “Hands like a sieve” Rutherford – galvanized the team, and things started to happen.

Peter Minucos continued his stellar play, eventually winning the W.W Ellis Medal for most outstanding player in the competition in that year.

With 7 games to go the Colts were languishing in mediocrity, sitting 7th or 8th on the table. Things then took a dramatic turn.

Finally able to field his full strength squad week in week out the ’99 Colts beat every team that sat above them on the table, and did not lose in the final 7 weeks of the competition, only having won 2 of their previous games made the task of making the Semi Finals an arduous one.

It all came down to the trip out to UWS. A victory to us and a loss by Chatswood and Mosman would ensure us a spot in the semi’s.

A 20-8 victory from the men in blue meant that our fate was in the hands of the mathematical gods.

A pensive Woodsie Snr stood by the phone, while the Colts got progressively more shitfaced after the game (beer was cheap out there!).

When the call finally came through from Subbies Head Office, the news was all bad. It appeared as though on that day we were indeed punished for past indiscretions by the gods, as Mosman and Chatswood both won.

From that team many of the Colts have gone on to play quality rugby in the higher grades for Colleagues. Especially our future 1st Graders - Peter Minucos, Mick Wydeman and Johnny Sharrer.

Year 2000 saw another influx of younger guys, as the Old Guard’s time was running it’s course. Most of the original lads had reached the ripe old age of 21 (some 22, Benson was 27!) and were in their last year of Colts. Woodsie Jnr used nepotism to his advantage and assumed the Captaincy as Pete Minucos pursued other interests (1st Grade).

Top players like Tom Farrow and Ryan Mount parlayed their Colts success into some quality performances once they were graded.

Finishing a respectable 6th that year we had some great moments.

An opening day win against UNSW when the UNSW Skipper elected to take a Penalty Shot on the bell thinking they were trailing by 2, when it was actually 4, (aren’t students meant to be smart).

A game against Iggies saw a 22-0 half time scoreline was promptly erased by one of the most courageous displays of rugby seen in a long time. With two 17 year olds in the front row, we battled back and ended up losing 22-21 to the eventual undefeated premiers indicative of the heart displayed by the youngsters.

It was also the end of an illustrious coaching career by Brian Wood. After 12 years in the hot seat, he took a cushy front office job with Doylo!

2001 saw very little action in Colleagues Colts as no one was willing to take the reigns. Many of the players from previous years were too old, and as a result we forfeited all games.

In 2002 Cam Ireland took charge, and went back to his Alma Mater Sydney Uni, and his College – Andrews, and assembled a highly talented bunch of youngsters who wear the Blue Giant colours proudly. Led by their inspirational skipper DK, the boys had some top victories, and some gutting losses. They finished 8th on the table but that by no means was an indication of their skill and toughness.

This year they are back bigger, meaner and better than ever. A massive pack with boys like Unit, Shuey, Rossie, Wattie and 2002 Best and Fairest Bags will lay the foundation for the highly skillful backs to play razzle dazzle footy.

Coached in 2003 by injured club greats (and I use this term loosely) Woodsie Jnr and Lachie Benson, great things were predicted for the lads. And in an awsome year of hard hitting rugby, the colts came home with the Barbour Cup for the Colleagues display cabinet!