Members of Australia's wheelchair rugby league team, the Wheelaroos, say it's the 'most inclusive sport', and they hope a first-ever clash with New Zealand will help grow the sport in the region.
Wheelaroo Bayley McKenna took up the sport because he could play it with his father and his teammate Brad Grove found it after breaking his back as a teenager.Brad Grove didn't compete at this year's Paralympics and really, there was never a possibility that he would.Grove is a veteran of the Wheelaroos, Australia 's national wheelchair rugby league outfit.
On the eve of a maiden two-Test series against New Zealand and a home World Cup on the horizon, wheelchair rugby league has a major opportunity to allow the Australian public to familiarise themselves wit the Wheelaroos.Wheelchair rugby league encourages participation from both disabled and non-disabled athletes.Bayley McKenna is one of the Wheelaroos' non-disabled stars and said that is what makes wheelchair rugby league "the most inclusive sport".
The tournament was a watershed moment for wheelchair rugby league, with games being live streamed and social media highlights amassing hundreds of thousands of views. Brad Grove also hails the inclusivity that comes from allowing non-disabled and disabled athletes to compete together."I jumped on the back of another mate's ute, he took the corner of an embankment too much, rolled the ute, I was thrown off and it rolled over top of me," Grove said.After the accident, Grove initially played wheelchair basketball, but he found a home in wheelchair rugby league.
Rugby League Wheelchair Rugby League Nrl Australia New Zealand Disability Inclusivity
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