RUGBY UNION – Maccabi club embraces its roots

MACCABI NSW Rugby Club’s pre-season training is in full swing, as the Jewish club aims for a big season – on and off the field. This Subbies rugby season, which starts in April, will see several initiatives introduced by the club that aim to celebrate and embrace its proud heritage, and reconnect with former players from different eras. Senior players and club board members, Aaron Stern and Harris Lloyd-Levy, told The AJN at a well-attended training session last Wednesday, that the Blues’ 2024 jersey will feature a logo designed to be very similar to the club’s original badge from the late ’70s to early ’80s. “It will be kind of a new-old jersey – so that our players can literally feel closer to the club’s roots,” Stern said, adding the original logo was on a Maccabi jersey that his dad, Tim, wore in his playing days. “We’re also calling out to as many former players for Maccabi as we can, and asking them to get in touch, so that we can strengthen the social and supporters’ side of things, maximise the spirit of the club, add to our game day atmosphere, and have a lot of fun along the way. “We want to get the whole community involved. “It’s kind of a rebirth of the club, in a way.” Lloyd-Levy added another game day introduction will be all Maccabi players wearing yellow armbands, in honour of the Israelis still held captive by Hamas since October 7, and all those who have lost their lives. On the rugby front, turnout at training sessions throughout February has been solid, and the club’s pathways program is starting to pay dividends, with the club welcoming the most number of early 20s players into the squad in many years – mostly players who learned their craft in the rugby programs of Sydney’s Jewish high schools. This younger cohort includes players like Daniel King, Chad Bobrow, Jared Elbourne and Ethan Agosin – and they add balance and speed to the team, which has retained experienced forwards like Josh Hoffman and Sean Jankelowitz. King, 23, said, “This will be my second season for Maccabi – I’ve played for other clubs in recent years, but I’m drawn to Maccabi because there is a sense of camaraderie and a family feel that I couldn’t find anywhere else. “So it’s easy to get motivated about coming to training, and it’s easy to put your body on the line in a game for teammates like this.” Maccabi will play its first trial game in 2024 on March 16 from 3.20pm at Lyne Park versus the Sydney Convicts – a fixture affectionately dubbed the Barbra Streisand Cup. And when the season begins, the club will switch its home ground and training venue to Burrows Park in Clovelly, which has been recently upgraded.

SOURCE: AJN