There’s a new King of the Castle at Power House, and he’s keen to usher in a new era.
A former club first grader and three-time premiership winner with ‘The House’, few know the club better than recently anointed Club President Josh Blanksby.
As CEO of the Melbourne Racing Club, Blanksby’s project management skills will be soundly considered as Power House forge ahead with their most pressing order of business.
“The new Stan Bisset Pavilion is our number one priority,” explains Blanksby.
“Power House has a proud history and has been in existence at Albert Park since 1933.
“We deserve our own club rooms next to our grounds like other clubs. We are working hard with all levels of Government for support and have raised a material amount from our supporters.
“With a women’s and Colts team back up and running it’s time we got the go ahead for this.”
Whilst the return of the women’s program is an achievement in itself, the new President is quick to direct praise elsewhere.
“A huge shout out to Natalie Reid who has worked tirelessly to make the Lindroth team happen.
“One of our goals is to be a diverse and inclusive Club and having a women’s team was a non negotiable.
“Power House traditionally has had strong women’s team and its great we are back in the hunt for the Lindroth Cup.”
Supporting his coaches, committee members and volunteers appears to be paramount to Blansby’s vision, as seeks to ensure those around him have the tools they need to succeed.
“Reconnecting with our supporter base is a key to ensure our teams don’t want for anything in terms of preparation and development,” highlights Blanksby.
“We have re-established our Coronet Club – our coterie group for supporters, and have organised a number of functions throughout the year. One of those is our traditional pre Bledisloe Test Match luncheon.
“We are fortunate to have sponsors across all our teams. For the first time we had a season launch and had over 100 in attendance to present jerseys to our first grade and women’s team. It was a great event and people are now reaching out to get involved with the Club.”
So where did the motivation come from to invest so much time into a local rugby club when he’s already in charge of one of the biggest sporting organisations in the state?
“The momentum of the end of the 2022 season for Power House attracted a lot of us old boys back for a few games,” reflects Blanksby.
“I could see that on the field we were well organised, well coached and attracting talent.
“I simply wanted to help put a few structures in place off field to provide some stability and revenue.
The connection to community is a recurring theme for the new Kingmaker. Acutely aware of the demographics underpinning Power House, Blansky is only too aware of the challenges the club must address.
“Power House has always been a transient Club, attracting different cultures and players who don’t have a historical connection to rugby in Victoria.
“COVID impacted everyone but Power House really felt it with the lack of people migrating to Melbourne and not being able to rely on a big community.
“Getting Power House back on the map as a destination Club and reconnecting with our supporter base are big priorities.
“Power House meant a lot to me when I moved to Melbourne from Qld back in 2000 and didn’t know many people. It felt like it was time to put back into the Club.”
Keen to play in 2023? Power House are still recruiting.
Training is currently at Power House Juniors in Newport on Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:30pm and will be back at Albert Park from mid May. All welcome.
