Three Nations Heritage Rugby League Day: Three Cultures, Three Communities, One Game
Updated: Sep 23
On Saturday, 26 September 2026, three proud rugby league communities will come together at Dudley Chesham Sports Ground (Burragorang Rd, The Oaks) for the Three Nations Heritage Rugby League Day.
Bringing together Māori, Italy and the Philippines, the event will feature six games across junior and senior divisions, with footy running from 9:00am to approximately 4:20pm.
For Pilipinas Australian Rugby League (PARL), it’s a chance to see four of our Filipino representative teams take the field, backed by the coaches, managers, trainers, volunteers, families and supporters who have helped get them there.
Three Cultures. Three Communities. One Game.
Four Filipino Teams Ready to Represent 🇵🇭
PARL will field teams across four divisions - U16 Men, U18 Women, U18 Men and Admirals Men’s Opens.
Our first game kicks off at 10:15am, when the U16 Men face Italy. The U18 Women follow against Māori at 11:30am, before the U18 Men meet Italy at 12:45pm.
The Admirals Men’s Opens will then close the event with a 3:15pm clash against Italy.
Three Nations Game Schedule
9:00am — U16 Girls: Māori vs Italy
10:15am — U16 Boys: 🇵🇭 Philippines vs Italy 🇮🇹
11:30am — U18 Girls: 🇵🇭 Philippines vs Māori
12:45pm — U18 Boys: 🇵🇭 Philippines vs Italy 🇮🇹
2:00pm — Open Womens: Māori vs Italy
3:15pm — Open Mens: 🇵🇭 Philippines vs Italy 🇮🇹
Each match will feature 30-minute halves, a five-minute halftime and a 10-minute changeover between games, with the final match scheduled to finish at approximately 4:20pm.
The Coaching Teams Behind Our Players
The preparation for Three Nations has been happening well before game day.
Across our squads, PARL’s coaching staff have been working with players through training sessions, fitness work, skills and drills, team combinations and preparation for representative footy.
Our U16 Mens are led by Head Coach Dylan Jones, alongside Assistant Coach Beau Jones and Manager JC Almonte.
For our U18 Women, Head Coach Isaac Rosario and Nik Forrest, Kristen Cawthorne and AJ Khoury, with Stef Leigh as Team Manager.
For our U18 Mens, Head Coach Pat Page and Assistant Coach Fred Arquiza.
Our Admirals Men’s Opens are led by Coach Ryan Picard, with Assistant Coach Pat Page, Manager Fred Colina and Trainer Lucus Gallardo.
Across the wider program, coaches, trainers and support staff have been giving their time to help players prepare physically, develop their game and understand what comes with representing the Philippines.
For our younger players in particular, these representative opportunities provide valuable experience and another step in their rugby league development.
Behind the Scenes: Getting Three Nations Ready
While the players prepare for their matches, another team has been working behind the scenes.
PARL is supported by talented volunteers who give their time around work, family and other commitments to help make events like Three Nations possible.
Before game day, that work includes coordinating players and teams, communicating training information, preparing team lists, organising equipment and jerseys, promoting fixtures, working with participating organisations and preparing the operational details needed for the event.
On Saturday morning, preparations begin early.
From 7:00am, the event operations team is scheduled to arrive at Dudley Chesham Sports Ground to begin venue setup. The field, signage, team areas, Event HQ and medical areas all need to be prepared before the first game.
Team and match officials begin arriving from 8:00am, followed by safety inspections, staff briefings and the cultural opening before the 9:00am kick-off.
Throughout the day, people will be working across ground operations, match coordination, team management, medical support, photography, video, social media, scoring, timekeeping, cultural proceedings and volunteer coordination.
Then, once the final game finishes, there’s still pack-down and the final venue checks to complete.
It takes plenty of hands to deliver a full day of community rugby league, and we’re incredibly thankful to everyone who has stepped forward to help.
To our coaches, managers, trainers, volunteers, committee members and families - maraming salamat.
Three Communities Coming Together
Three Nations also gives the Māori, Italian and Filipino rugby league communities an opportunity to share the same field and celebrate the cultures represented by their players.
The day will begin with an official welcome and cultural opening ahead of the first match, with all three participating organisations acknowledged.
Where venue permissions allow, the event may also include food vendors, merchandise, community activations, cultural displays and sponsor presence, creating a full community day around the six scheduled matches.
For Filipino families and supporters, it’s an opportunity to come together and see our heritage proudly represented across several generations of players - from our U16s through to our senior Admirals.
Building Filipino Rugby League in Australia
Representative events like Three Nations are an important part of PARL’s work to create stronger pathways for Filipino players in Australia.
Having junior and senior teams competing gives emerging players somewhere to develop, experienced players an opportunity to continue representing their heritage, and younger Filipino-Australian athletes something they can aspire towards.
That pathway depends on the community around it.
Players need coaches willing to teach. Teams need managers and trainers. Events need volunteers. Organisations need sponsors and partners. And every team needs families and supporters standing behind them.
Three Nations brings all of those pieces together in one place.
Join Us at Dudley Chesham Sports Ground 🇵🇭
We’re calling on the Filipino community to get behind our teams on Saturday, 26 September.
Come down early, bring the family, wear your Philippine colours and make some noise from the sidelines as our players represent the Philippines.
Whether you’re supporting someone on the field or simply want to be part of the Filipino rugby league community, everyone is welcome.
Event Details 📅 Saturday, 26 September 2026 📍 Dudley Chesham Sports Ground, Burragorang Rd, The Oaks NSW 2570 ⏰ First game: 9:00am 🇵🇭 First Philippines game: 10:15am 🏉 Admirals Men’s Opens vs Italy: 3:15pm ⏰ Final game finishes approximately 4:20pm Māori • Italy • Philippines
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