Try, try and try again! More than 1000 players in 88 teams coming for AFGRI Albany 7s

The AFGRI Albany 7s is coming to town, with more than 1000 junior rugby players set to fill Centennial Park at the weekend.

Age groups range from under-eights to under-15s and there will be teams for boys and girls in what is billed as Rugby WA’s biggest 7s event of the year.

Rugby WA regional manager Jason Marrable said the carnival was a chance for regional teams to tackle quality opposition without having to travel to Perth.

“It provides a really great opportunity for the regional clubs to participate without having to travel too far,” he said.

“It’s part of our regional model; they get two days of good competition in a format of the game which is easier to understand than the 15-a-side version and lends itself to new players.”

It is also a chance for the sport to engage the hearts and minds of young players, with the Rugby World Cup coming to Australia in 2027.

The carnival is an event on the Albany 2026 bicentenary calendar and has been backed by the City of Albany.

Marrable said teams were coming from far and wide, including Kalgoorlie, Esperance and Perth.

Some 88 teams have registered, and he said it meant around 3000 people would be in Albany for the weekend once parents and siblings are taken into account.

Although Albany does not have a senior team, there will be home teams competing in many of the age bands.

The carnival was launched by Albany’s Paul Osborne in 2017 and he said it has grown every year since.

“We started with eight teams and it has just got bigger and bigger,” he said.

“I had a dream and vision that we could have 7s in schools but that means you need coaches, insurance, duty of care and it became too much of a headache.

“So we have a club-based model under Rugby WA, which suits us much better.”

Although there’s no senior Albany Storm side, the club punches above its weight in junior development, according to Osborne.

“We have more State reps than any other country town, even though we don’t have a senior team,” he said.

The Storm’s under-nines start their campaign on Saturday at 11am against Soaks, from Perth.

The under-10s kick off at 1pm against the Bunbury Bulls and the under-11s start at 9am, when they will tackle the Esperance Redbacks.

Mandurah Pirates will be the first opponents for the under 12s, with the under-13s opening against Swan Suburbs.

The teams up to age 13 are all mixed, with single-sex sides operating after that.

Cottesloe won the senior grand final in the metro competition and have sent several teams, while Joondalup and Mandurah are other junior powerhouses taking part.

Last year there were 77 teams, with Albany Storm winning the under-14 cup final and the under-15s reaching the final of the shield.