Bayley McKenna, the captain of Australiaโs wheelchair rugby league team, has a particularly grisly way of selling his sport. Basically, he says, spectators at the World Cup should expect gladiatorial-level gore.
โThey can expect big hits, finger dislocations, wrist dislocations, shoulder dislocations, tyre explosions, massive, massive bangs and a lot of skill to be able to push your chair, catch the ball, put it on your lap and straighten up and balance up on one wheel,โ he said. โIt is brutal.โ
The Australian side is aiming to improve on their best finish โ as runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 2008 โ when they kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Wollongong on Saturday.
Named Wheelaroos captain last month, McKenna, 26, becomes the first player without a disability to lead the Australian team. He was introduced to the sport through his father, Darren, who became an amputee in 2006, when McKenna was six.
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