Rugby union hasn’t always had a huge slice of the Goulburn Valley sporting pie — but it could be producing one of Shepparton’s top prospects.
The Shepparton Bulls certainly seem to think so, at least.
With a handful of one-time Bulls juniors going on to representative rugby in various forms — one embarking on a tour of New Zealand with Melbourne Brothers — another is quickly rising up and out of the local pipeline.
Ioata “Ata” Tuiletufuga is the latest to earn his shot at representing Victoria when an under-17 state side heads to Adelaide next month.
Described by Bulls senior coach Moronae Silaga as a player who can take on any forward role, but is likely to play on the front row during his time in the Victorian camp, Ata will train in Melbourne until the start of the carnival.
With the tournament still a little more than a month away, the talented lock has said his farewells to Shepparton rugby for now, but Silaga has every faith this will kick-start Ata’s career.
“Ata might be our fifth junior to represent from Shepparton,” Silaga said.
“To me as a coach, all I wanted was for our juniors to do well, not just to play rugby for fun, but take on opportunities like these if you’re good at it and they come.
“Shepp Bulls is not a big club, but when someone gets to represent us and the state in a competition, we’re all very proud.
“I want Ata to complete this comp and then step up and push himself. Hopefully he’ll get to where we all want him to be, and that goes for all our juniors.
“We’re extremely happy for him and he’s a wonderful kid.”
There is perhaps no greater testament to Ata’s level of support than in the outpouring of community donations amid the club’s attempts to fund raise and cover the travel expenses of Ata and his family.
The club’s campaign gained remarkable steam in no time flat, leading to expressions of immense gratitude.
“We’re very humbled and grateful for the support from our community,” Silaga said.
“So many people have wanted to reach out and donate. In one day, we nearly got his fees paid off, and that’s something we really appreciate.
“The family is pretty proud of his achievement and going to Melbourne is going to be a wonderful opportunity for him to learn with other teams.
“We wish him all the best in Adelaide and I have no doubt he’ll do well.”