The Melbourne Rebels Super W team is set to take the pitch for the first time in 467 days when they clash against the Brumbies on Saturday.
Victorian Rugby stalwart, Silei Etuale, is the newly appointed Forwards Coach for the 2021 campaign, joining a historic coaching line-up under Alana Thomas - making up the only Super W team with two female coaches.
Silei revealed that she could not contain her excitement when finding out that she will be leading the Rebels forwards pack in its fourth season of Super W.
“For me, I’ve always wanted to be part of the Super W coaching team,” Silei said.
“Alana Thomas (Head Coach) and I have played at Wallaroos together and against each other in representative rugby.”
“It’s a great opportunity, and I’ve been blessed that I’ve been given that.”
“I love training up my forwards group and I do have a good history of building a strong forward pack. It’s really exciting; there are some new faces from previous years. What we’ll see is another step up from the previous seasons.”
“Hopefully, when we get to our first game against the Brumbies, all the nerves have gone and these girls can put what we’ve practiced into play and go hard.”
A highly respected figure in Victorian Rugby, Silei will be drawing on 20 years of playing and coaching experience this Super W campaign.
She has been a pillar at the Northern Panthers Rugby Club since 18 years of age, where she has coached women’s teams to premierships and the senior men’s team to a premiership in 2012.
According to Silei, the Panthers will always hold a strong place in her heart and has shaped the coach that she has become today.
“I’ve been there all my life,” Silei said.
“We’ve always had great support from our Senior and Junior teams.”
“Regardless of if I was representing Victoria or Wallaroos, they would see me doing my extra training and join in with me.”
“It’s such a big family at the Panthers and we are all about helping each other out. I think being part of such a family club, it’s made it a lot easier on my family throughout my career.”
“I started coaching three years into my playing career at the Panthers in 2005.”
“(Fellow Wallaroo) Tegan French and I thought we don’t have any coaches; we’ll just teach them what we’ve learnt. At one stage I was a player, coach, manager and physio.”
“You do what you can to help your rugby community.”
Silei reached the pinnacle of her playing career as a Hooker at the 2006 and 2010 Rugby World Cups.
Despite finishing seventh at the 2006 RWC, the Wallaroos kept the majority of the squad for the next four years - culminating in a third-place finish at the 2010 RWC in England.
Knowing what it takes to follow the path to get to a World Cup, Silei has looked to instil the same family values and personal connection from the Wallaroos into her Super W players.
“We built such close friendships at the Wallaroos that it was like a family,” Silei said.
“We were all in the same boat sacrificing our families and our children. We were working before and after hours from training. We not only had club rugby but state rugby and Wallaroos training at the same time. To fit all that in was a massive sacrifice – but one you need to make if you want to represent Australia.”
“When we beat France and finished third in the 2010 Rugby World Cup, it was definitely the highlight of my rugby career.”
Silei’s success on and off the field ignited her passion for developing Victoria’s youth girls’ pathways and a depth in women’s rugby needed for the next generation to flourish.
Her 15 years of dedication and advocacy for growing women’s rugby, including leading the Youth Girls Sevens and U18s Schools 15s State Team, was recognised in 2018 when receiving the Ann Nicholson award.
“It came as a surprise,” Silei said.
“I don’t ever expect to win awards, if anything, I expect to give back to the community.”
“When I first started playing rugby, Ann Nicholson was part of the whole rugby community with Rugby Victoria. She was someone I could go to and speak to when I was very young. To receive an award after her was an absolute honour.”
“It’s not something you just put in the back of your cupboard; it is definitely something to cherish.”
In 2019 with a wedding on the way, the time finally came for Silei to “hang up the boots.”
More joy filled her life in January this year when baby Isla was born.
But there was still an itch that needed to be scratched.
Only a few months after giving birth, Silei returned to the field as a player and coach at her beloved Northern Panthers.
“I can’t get away from the pitch!” she said.
“I’m back to normal, except for a few extra kilos. I didn’t expect to be back playing, but I still absolutely love it.”
Now, after dedicating her coaching career to investing in the future of women’s rugby, she will have the chance to lead the current Melbourne Rebels Super W forward pack, including Northern Panthers crew Celeste Utumapu, Eirenei Nanai, Michaela Maunsell, Norma Fuaiva’a and Willow Rowland.
With many of the squad’s home-grown experienced and youthful stars shining in the Lindroth Cup, Silei is confident that the Rebels are hungrier than ever to achieve Australian rugby’s ultimate success this season.
“It’s a massive achievement to see where Victorian Rugby has come from over the years.”
“We’ve got the most women teams in community rugby now than we’ve ever had. Rugby is a sport for all shapes and sizes, and it is a sport that really brings women together. There’s so much excitement from our young players and it’s continuously growing.”
“Victoria is continuing to go from strength to strength, and I believe we have a strong state team now with the right people in place.”
“I can’t wait for us to show what we’ve got to the rest of Australia.”
The Melbourne Rebels will kick off their 2021 Super W campaign against the Brumbies on Saturday June 19 at Seiffert Oval, beginning at 3pm AEST. The Round 1 clash can be seen exclusively add-free, live and on-demand on Stan Sports.
