Vikings Club History
"The vision of Vikings rugby continues to be dominated by an inherent desire to offer its players the very best level of rugby".
From humble beginnings in 1973, the Tuggeranong Vikings have developed into a rugby powerhouse, with high aspirations and an aggressive administration. Uniquely positioned in Canberra, with a large and successful licensed club organisation behind it, there has long been a commitment from the Viking's management that players should be presented with an opportunity to play at whatever level they so desire and has also sought to develop the overall standard of the ACT representative competition for the benefit of players from all clubs.
In the early 90's this meant that a large number of the Club's home grown stars such as Joe Roff, Craig Sweeny, Dean Zammitt, Justin Harrison, James Swan, David Grimmomd, and Brenden Jones took the big step up to form the backbone of the inaugural Canberra Kookaburras, in the tough AAMI Cup Competition, and in the mid-90's many of these players again formed the nucleus of the fledgling ACT Brumbies in the then Super 12 competition, with Roff and Harrison both going on to become long term Wallaby players and Roff in particular becoming one of the legends of the game, both in Australia and overseas.
The Club took this player drain in its stride and continues to develop and push forward the stars of the future, often to the detriment of its' own on-field success.
In recent times this new brigade of Vikings young guns, such as Julian
Salvi, John Ulugia, Frankie Fainifo & Christian Lealiifano have
continued to carry the torch into the arena of professional rugby with the
Brumbies.
The early days of Vikings rugby were spent in the Canberra Cup as
Woden-Weston where they proved themselves a formidable club, with
aspirations to greater heights. The A.C.T Senior Grade Competition beckoned
and after strong on-field results and a sustained growth in player
registrations, plans were made to enter the 'big time' of the ACT's senior
club competition. After a name change, a geographical relocation and the
building of a small licensed Club premises the time seemed right. Enter the
Tuggeranong Vikings.
The senior grades of rugby in the A.C.T Competition proved very demanding
and although the Club was determined to succeed, the player depth was sadly
lacking. It proved a tough initiation for those involved and provided many
hard lessons both on and off the field. It is fair to say the Club was
underdone and after a brief sojourn they were relegated to a lower grade
competition to undergo an 'apprenticeship' period.
During the hiatus the Viking's ambitious administrators made good use of
their time. The licensed Club was thriving as the population in the Club's
drawing area was increasing rapidly. Rugby, too, was enjoying boom times as
the Wallabies swept all before them. An application to re-enter the senior
grade competition in 1986 was successfully lodged and players were
attracted from around the globe to become part of the campaign.
Eminent rugby citizen and Wallaby forward, Tom Barker, took on the coaching
role and proved a worthy choice. His work on skill development and his
efforts to adopt a more professional attitude, both on and off the field,
were solid foundations for the future. While the results were not
outstanding, the resolve was ever present, and the renowned spirit of the
Vikings was gathering momentum.
Duncan Hall took over as Club Coach in 1989 and the 'foundations' laid by
Tom Barker were built upon by the Wallaby legend. A competitive and
aggressive edge was instilled during this time and performances in the Hall
years were to reach new heights.
In 1991 the First Grade team came within a whisker of winning its maiden
Grand Final, going down by a point to arch rivals Royals, but the longing
for victory only intensified with an absence from the Grand Final stage
over the next two years.
Bob Hitchcock, Canberra's best known coach, followed Duncan Hall in 1993
and maintained the Club's highly competitive on-field performances. Due to
ill health Hitchcock's stay with the Club was cut short after one year. His
successor, the relatively unknown Chris Hickey, came on board for season
1994.
Armed with fresh ideas and a talented and experienced senior squad, led by former South African test captain and backrower Jannie Breedt, his charter was simple - WIN. He did not disappoint.
His creed of 'whatever it takes' soon echoed throughout the Club's ranks
and as his 'underdogs' won the First Grade Premiership, they were joined in
victory by Second Grade in a dominant double against Royals in the changing
of the guard.
Since that great day the Club has continued on its winning ways by
securing its first Club Championship in 1995 and the same year winning the
top three grade premierships. Further success in 1996, albeit in the Colt's
Grade, meant the tradition of winning was maintained and the hunger
revitalised.
More premierships followed for the first grade side in 1997, '98, '99, 2004
and 2006 under the astute guidance of Hickey, Graham Reed, Brendan
Allardyce and Baden Stephenson, as well as numerous premierships in other
grades. (For a full list of the clubs Grand Final results since that first
premiership, please see the Trophy Cabinet)
The advent of Brumbies rugby in Canberra has heightened the need for
increased standard of competition for more players. To date this need has
been satisfied by the NSW and Brisbane Club Competitions which has proven a
worthy stepping stone for players to compete in the rigours of provincial
rugby.