Sport
8 October, 2024
What do Taylor Swift and the Flamin' Galahs have in common? They have both played at Accor Stadium!
The mighty women’s team The Flamin’ Galahs played an exhibition match of tri-tag rugby at halftime on Saturday, September 21.
Flamin’ Galahs play at Accor Stadium
On Friday, September 20 a busload, along with carloads, and plane travellers, of players and supporters of the Gulargambone Rugby Union Club left the sleepy outback and started making their way to the bright lights of Sydney town to hit the big smoke for the weekend.
Sydney and in particular Darling Harbour and Chinatown were about to be hit by a tsunami of very eager and thirsty players and supporters.
The weekend had turned into a twofold trip.
The Friday night was a unique and first-ever presentation night for the club with a fine cuisine cruise on the harbour for three hours.
But the ultimate reason for the trip was for the mighty women’s team The Flamin’ Galahs to play an exhibition match of tri-tag rugby at halftime on Saturday afternoon (September 21) at the Olympic Stadium at Homebush in the Bledisloe Cup match between the Wallabies and All Blacks.
The flock of players and supporters numbering about 100 or so hit Chinatown at about 5.00 pm on Friday.
Hair, dresses, suits and make-up were quickly assembled, and the Gular crew met at Kings Wharf Barangaroo at 7.00pm pm for presentation night on the high seas of Sydney Harbour.
Everything had been organised to the enth degree by club president Benn Jenkin and our invaluable and remarkable secretary Makaila Gordon.
For the next three hours players and supporters cruised the harbour on a beautiful warm Sydney Spring evening.
Food and alcohol flowed as well as a few yarns and tales as the evening went on.
The group had to pinch themselves numerous times as they sipped on their drinks and nibbles on the upper deck taking in the charming and remarkable Sydney harbour at night.
Halfway through the cruise, the presentations were held below deck to raptus applause and intrigue to winners on the night.
Club guernsey presentations were made to the men's and women's teams by men’s coach Gus Beveridge and women's coach Zac Mills respectively.
After the presentation, it was all back up on the top deck as a rendition of the famous Gulargambone Rugby team song was bellowed out by all as they sailed under the harbour bridge and back to Barangaroo.
On alighting from the cruise at 10.00 pm, this had only been the entrée.
The group were hungry for more and they were let loose on Sydney.
Some of the more experienced hands hit the Star Casino to try their luck while many of the younger and wiser members of the group decided to hit the Cargo nightclub bar.
The Cargo bar was pumping, and the Gular players and supporters added to the festivity of the whole night.
The disco king for the night was no doubt the number one supporter Dougie Irvine.
Our younger, unfortunate players who were not quite of the age to enter these licensed premises made do with some E-bike displays and aerobatics along Darling Harbour that enthralled the crowds, watching and being entertained.
Not sure what condition the E-bike were in by the end of the night or the riders?
Next, the Gular group hit the Pontoon Bar in Darling Harbour and the dancing by the players and supporters went to another level.
There was even some pole dancing on display by one or two players as well as a coaching staff member.
Some hearts were broken by a couple of the younger lads as the group left this location.
Numbers were dwindling by 2.30 am but there were some hearty soles left that hit Scruffy Murphys for a nightcap or two and most of the group were tucked back in bed by a reasonable 4.00 am-ish time.
By 8.00 am that Saturday morning some of the lads of the men's team made their way to Bondi Beach after just a few hours of shut-eye.
This was met with great admiration by fitness coach King, still asleep, with the eagerness shown by the boys already in pre-season training for next year and it was still September!
Very impressive!
The rest of the group dusted themselves off from the previous evening's antics and got showered and ready.
By 12.00pm the Gulargambone Rugby Union Club had assembled at Central Railway Station en-route to Olympic Stadium to watch and cheer on the mighty Flamin’ Galah’s.
The players and supporters hit the Homebush precinct by 1.00 pm and the gates did not open till 2.00 pm to the stadium. What to do?
Problem solved the group hit the Sydney Kings Bar at Olympic Park to stay hydrated in the very warm spring conditions.
By 2.30 pm supporters were well hydrated and always the consummate professionals The Flamin’ Galahs stuck to iced water. Most of them at least!
By kick-off time in the Bledisloe Cup, there were 68,000 people in the Olympic Stadium, as the group took in the first twenty minutes or so of the first half.
With 15 minutes to go in the first half, The Flamin’ Galahs and coaching staff were escorted down to the ground and waited with much excitement to enter the playing arena in front of 68.000 odd people.
The Flamin’ Galahs were playing a 10-minute nine-a-side game against each other across ways on half the allotted football field.
This was a much smaller area than the ladies are used to with these numbers, so they knew it was going to be quite congested and a very defensive game.
The Flamin’ Galahs made their way out onto the stadium to rapturous applause from the huge crowd. For the next ten minutes, the Flamin’ Galahs had the time of their lives, and they could not take the smiles off their faces as they played.
The ladies gave a very good display of the game but due to the tightness of the field, the game finished in a nil-all draw. A wonderful result given the circumstances.
The Flamin’ Galahs were given a huge sendoff applause as they left the field. This was an experience of a lifetime.
The Flamin’ Galahs made their way back to the supporter's seats to another great round of applause from the supporters' group and sat back and hoped that the Wallabies could come back against the All Blacks. The Wallabies went close but lost 31-28 on the day.
The players and supporters made their way back to Sydney and out for the night to celebrate a wonderful and historic day and weekend for the Flamin’ Galahs and the Gulargambone Rugby Union Club.
Again, a huge thank you goes to our club president Benn Jenkin and an even huger thank you to our secretary Makaila Gordon for organising the weekend.
Thanks also go to our sponsors who also chipped in and made the cost of the weekend very economical for the club.
Thank you also to NSW Rugby for their financial support in the weekend as well.
A very big thank you to all the supporters, family and friends who made their way down for the weekend to have a great time and cheer along the Flamin’ Galahs and support the Gulargambone Rugby Union Club.
A great season had been had by all this year.
To our players, supporters and sponsors have a great and safe time off over the summer and see you all in February 2025.
