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Eagles Angel lets fly at state of junior rugby league

For reasons we can only guess, the once-mighty Eagles Angels appear to have lost their presence of late.

They haven’t been spotted in force at Brookvale Oval for almost two years.

Nor are they involved in promoting the club off the field.

And now one of their most popular and longest-serving members has walked away.

Andronicus made her thoughts known on Facebook. Pic: Getty
Andronicus made her thoughts known on Facebook. Pic: Getty

Former champion triathlete Nici Andronicus has sworn off the code altogether; but not before letting rip with the most vitriolic social media post we’ve seen from a high profile league fan.

Andronicus is filthy about developments in Manly’s junior league; most notably the recruitment of larger kids from western Sydney to one local club, Beacon Hill Bears.

Venting on Facebook over the weekend, Andronicus claimed she could no longer permit her 13-year-old son to play the sport after witnessing so many physical mis-matches throughout the season.

The final straw came last Saturday morning, when Andronicus lost her cool on the sidelines after watching a smaller boy being pummeled during an U14s semi-final between Christian Brothers and Beacon Hill.

“I swore very loudly and I should have instead taken my son and departed the game,” she wrote.

“There is no place in sport for that and I’m terribly sorry to . . . the children from Beacon Hill for my foul language. It will never happen again because I’ll never watch a game of rugby league again.”

Talented kids from the western suburbs, aged between 15 and 17, were also brought to the Northern Beaches by bus for weekly training with Manly’s junior representative teams earlier in the year.

Andronicus says similar moves are being made at the grass roots level, which she claims is “taking the local heart out of the game for my son, his team mates, myself and many others.”

Her son’s team even forfeited a game against Beacon Hill earlier this year, out of fear of injury.

Beacon Hill’s president declined to respond to Andronicus’s concerns.

But those close to club say a formal complaint about her behaviour over the weekend has been made.

Beacon Hill also made moves to have its U14s team participate in a Sydney-wide competition, which was knocked back.

As a result the team has only played a handful of games this year, because other clubs have also decided to forfeit.

With the NSWRL considering weight-for-age competitions across the State, it’s an issue worthy of higher consideration.