Mushin Faleel, the man who ThePapare’s very own rugby expert Saabir Cader describes as the great wall of the Police defence this season, has spent quite a few years in the club rugby scene.
A heavily built young man, Faleel occupies the critical position of inside center for the cops and has been an integral part of both their attacking and defensive set ups. He is built more like a Sonny Bill Williams rather than a Brian O’ Driscoll, but has shown, particularly in the past, that he is a pretty versatile player for a big man and that his boot can do some good work too.
Unlike many for whom rugby is really a family affair, Faleel grew up in a family that had more of an affiliation to football than rugby. “Nobody in my family has ever played rugby. I had a few cousins who have played football; my older brother also played football.”
But of course, having started school at Royal College Colombo, there was no way he would be ignorant of the sport for long. What started off as an innocent game during the interval, slowly turned into a passion and eventually into a career. “One day in school, some of my friends who played rugby asked me if I’d like to play with them in the interval. I played with them and things progressed from there.”
At first he did not really have the physique he does now, in fact he himself says that he was “very very skinny” so he had to settle for playing as Fly-half or Full back, but as time went by, those hours in the gym really began to add up, Faleel switched to playing center, a position he feels most comfortable in. “I’ve played Fly-half and Full back as well but my favourite position has always been Center.” He adds quite seriously that “If they asked me to play in the pack, I would probably quit.”
After getting a taste of the game in the age group level, Faleel felt drawn to Sri Lanka’s club rugby scene.
“In about 2005/06 I started watching a bit of club rugby, I really liked the CR team. That’s when I made up my mind to somehow play for CR one day.”
He was able to fulfil his dream almost immediately after leaving school as he was contracted by CR & FC for the 2010/2011 season. “I think the fact that I performed well in the school’s arena enabled me to get into good clubs like CR and Police. Because as soon as I left school I got a few offers from clubs and of course my 1st choice was CR – because CR was the team I always wanted to play for.”
It is clear however, that his fondest memories were in the Blue and Gold jersey – playing for Royal College. Any Royal rugby player will tell you how much the Bradby Shield means to the school and Faleel was able to taste victory not once but twice.
Having lost the 2008 encounter by just 4 points, Royal regained the shield in 2009 quite comfortably. In 2010, his last year playing for his alma mater, Royal came 2nd best in a close 1st leg encounter. However, the seniors in the team really rallied to ensure that they retained the trophy. “Winning the Bradby shield in 2010 is the most memorable moment from my school career.”
Watching him play, it is no surprise that his favourite player is Sonny Bill Williams but the guys who he names as his role models reflect his versatility as well. “My role model during my school days was Rajith Jayasundera, former Royal Center, another one is Mohammed Sherif.”
Among counterparts, his admiration for former national skipper Fazil Marija is apparent. “Fazil Marija is probably the toughest opponent I’ve come up against in the current local rugby scene. He reads the game really well. Even if there’s a set plan, he is able to adapt and play with vision because he reads what’s happening and what’s about to happen so well. Marija is also the one I’d really really like to play alongside someday.”
When asked who he’d like to play alongside at center, he takes a moment to consider his options and says “Dhanushka Ranjan is a player who I’d love to partner with at center, from all the current players”
One of the biggest challenges in club rugby is maintaining fitness levels. This is quite a step up from the school rugby arena. “When you play club rugby you really need to be fit. Fitness in school’s rugby isn’t really an issue, but it makes a huge difference when playing club rugby. I spend about 1 to 1 and a half hour in the gym, a couple of times a week. During the off season of course we train individually.”
Of course as semi- professionals, who have to do day jobs to support themselves, this is not always easy. Faleel has been fortunate in that aspect. “My manager at Dialog gives me a lot of support. So balancing rugby and work as a semi-professional, is made easier because of the support I receive from my place of work.”
Faleel rues the limited amount of matches the players get to showcase their skills at, “I played Carlton Rugby 7s for 4 years. I think a tournament of that scale is extremely important for local players.”
The question of future aspirations was met with a chuckle, “For anyone who plays a sport, their ultimate goal is to make to the national team. I was selected to the XV’s and 7s squads but unfortunately didn’t get picked to play. I think there may have been players performing better than me in the past, that’s why I wasn’t picked. This year somehow, I expect that I’ll be able to make it to the national setup.”
As ever, no man succeeds all on his own, and Faleel is no different in that aspect, expressing his gratitude for those who gave him the foundation to build his game on. “My 1st coach was Bilal Yousuf, from under 13 to 1st XV rugby. Then I have also been coached by Asanka Rodrigo.”
We, at ThePapare, wish him all the very best and hope that “the Great Wall of Police” will one day become a fine centre for Sri Lanka.
