 |
SPONSORS NEEDED |
| 2010 NRL DRAW | NRL LADDER | NEWS HEADLINES | OFT SCHOOLS | REFEREES | WOMEN IN LEAGUE |
| LATEST NEWS HERE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday 01 st March 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 WESTS Greater Northern Academy has proven the region’s rugby league nursery is one of the best in the state after it completed the summer with a clean sweep of the Tri-series against the North Coast and Northern Rivers at Jack Woolaston Oval in Tamworth on Saturday. Of the 10 games played this summer the GNA teams won eight of them, with the Yellow (Under 18s) side not only undefeated this season but also undefeated as Under 17s last year. The day started with easy wins over North Coast and then concluded with more hard-fought success over Northern Rivers. “We dominated the North Coast sides, with the 17s winning 34-nil and the 18s winning 26-4,” GNA head coach Jamie McCormack said. “Then we faced fresh Northern Rivers sides and they really gave us a challenge. “In the 17s it was nil-all at halftime so they really tested our 17s but in the end we ran out winners 18-6. “That was a great result for the younger guys and they’ve really peaked at the right time. “The Northern Rivers also really stuck it to our boys and led the game at times but we ground out a tough win 18-16. “So our graduating Under 18s have gone through two years of the academy program undefeated.” Gunnedah’s Matt Baker was devastating with ball in hand in the first game with two tries while Jack Broughton and Heath McIlveen also led the way up front. “Matt Baker is raw but probably one of the most talented players we’ve ever had come into the program,” McCormack said. “We hope that he and the other Under 17 players all come back for a second year in the program because we don’t know what they’re capable of. “They’re very good. “Another player I’d mention is Edin Blewitt. “He was outstanding. “Heath McIlveen and Jack Broughton really rolled their sleeves up against Northern Rivers and Ben Williams, our fullback from Moree, also played very well.” In the older age group, Daley Boney was hard to handle and Cameron Rodgers directed play from the dummy half position. “We’re very happy with them,” McCormack said. “Cameron Rodgers for one and Jock McHatten and one guy who has improved probably more than anyone over the two years is Joh Mathers. “This crop of players has been outstanding. The program started back in October with trials and the players, staff and parents have put in a lot of hours since then. But it’s all been worth it. “We think our program has been a great success,” McCormack said. “The kids are drawn to it. “Our next group of inductees will trial in October and we’ll have another group of kids with a lot of ability that we can improve. “It’s getting better and better every year.” |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 MIXED RESULTS IN JUNIOR REP'S South Sydney fortified their home ground of Erskniville Oval smashing the Dragons and the Sharks too good for WA visitors - Bulldogs go down to red hot Magpies. LATEST RESULTS - SG BALL - MATTY'S CUP |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GULLS EXTEND WINNING RUn Story & Photo By : QRL WYNNUM Manly's classy Under 18 team has continued its brilliant start to the Mal Meninga Cup season with a hard-fought 20-14 victory over the Sunshine Coast. The Nigel Roy-coached team scored four tries to three at BMD Kougari Oval to snatch its third victory from as many starts. The Seagulls (six points) hold down top spot on the ladder from Easts (five points), who beat Gold Coast Green 34-10 at Langlands Park. MM CUP RESULTS - CC CUP RESULTS |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday 26 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 SG BALL CUP Five teams remain undefeated after two rounds of the SG Ball competition. Melbourne Storm lead the pack closely followed by the Bulldogs, Penrith, Sydney Roosters and Western Suburbs. Making up the eight are Parramatta, Canberra and Newcastle. I don’t think the eight will change much during the year although I do like the look of the ninth placed Cronulla outfit. I think the feature match this week is between the first placed Melbourne Storm and the fourth placed Sydney Roosters. In the other matches I’m tipping Newcastle over Manly. The Sea Eagles have been disappointing to date and will need a dramatic form reversal to knock off the Knights in their back yard of Cessnock. Manly need to win because their next two games don’t get any easier when they face Western Suburbs and Parramatta. The Knights by 24 points. The Bulldogs will find the going tough against Western Suburbs but they will get the money in a close one. Keep an eye out for Wests five eight Mitchell Brasington who will pepper the Dogs fullback Gerard McCallum with his favorite spiral bombs. South Sydney will be too strong for the Lance Thompson coached St George team. The dragons will have to improve their ball security if they are to notch a win. The Sharks will beat WA Reds as they have too much fire power over the paddock. I expect Cronulla will be in the top eight this season. Parramatta should win against the Central Coast up at Morrie Breen Oval Wyong. Penrith will continue their winning ways over the improving North Sydney Bears. Keep an eye on Bears flashy winger Bevan De Vries who knows his way to the try line. Western Sydney will just beat Canberra who are not great travelers. Illawarra will get the money over the Balmain Tigers who have been extremely disappointing to date. FEATURE MATCH MELBOURNE STORM VS SYDNEY ROOSTERS Henson Park Saturday 27 February 1.30 pm It’s last year’s runner up against the Sydney Roosters in what should be a great battle. The Storm beat Central Coast 32-16 last week while they won their round one clash against Illawarra 46-4. The Roosters have also started their season well with two good wins over Norths and Newcastle. I like the look of the Roosters. They are a well drilled unit and their fiery forwards like to get in the opposition’s face. Their speed off the line is exceptional and I think this aspect could trouble the Storm. They have many players to watch out for. Look out for the big prop coming off the bench by the name of Tai Tuivasa. Remember him? He is the bloke we christened with the nickname “human wrecking ball” last year when he was terrorising opposition Harold Matthews teams playing for the Penrith Panthers. Unwanted by the Panthers he tried his luck at Parramatta but they didn’t want him either. Parramatta must be the only club in Sydney that don’t think you need props to win a competition. He has found a home at the Roosters and so far he hasn’t disappointed with a two try effort against Newcastle last week. Australian schoolboy half Jacob Miller is also back. His pairing with sneaky half Keanu Te Kiri troubled Newcastle last week. Te Kiri is very clever and quick off the mark. Centre Asipell Fine found many holes in opposition defensive lines in the first two games. The representative rugby union player will need to be closed down. Another representative rugby player second rower Dane Atkinson also resumed last week. He is a good player. Watch out for the two Keebra Park boys prop Brendan Tago & fullback Honare Wells. For Melbourne I’m excited by their Aussie Schools fullback Marpelli Morseau. His kick returns will trouble the Roosters and they need to be alert when he looks to get involved. I rate their prop from last year Matt Constantinou who has a good work rate while their other prop Jarome Wilson will also take some stopping. The former Knight is a big boy. Centre/winger Mahe Fonua is the competitions leading try scorer with six tries. The ACT recruit will leave defenders for dead if he is not watched closely. I’m leaning towards the Roosters because of the home ground advantage and I think they have a bit more attacking flair across the paddock than the Storm. Roosters by 10. Melbourne Storm 1. Marpelli Morseau 2. Young Tonumaipea 3. Kirisome Auva'a 4. Jai Ingram 5. Richard Kennar 6. Adam Millgate 7. Eman Carlos 8. Jarome Wilson 9. Herschel Gideon 10. Matt Constantinou 11. Mike Che-Kam 12. Tohu Harris 13. Mahe Fonua 14. Luke Waiti 15. Jake Keating 16. Jerome Henry 17. Uiti Baker 18. Tala Titi 19. Justin Tavae 20. Cameron Hansen COACH: Kim Williams Sydney Roosters 1. Honare Wells 2. Paul Rokolati 3. Tau Tau Moga 4. Asipell Fine 5. Eddy El-Zabaidieh 6. Jacob Miller 7. Keanu Te Kiri 8. Nick Dorante 9. Jason Antonelli 10. Brendan Tago 11. Dane Atkinson 12. Daniel Arona 13. Jarryd Clarke 14. Brendan Newton 15. Tai Tuivasa 16. Adam Bennett 17. Kane Evans 18. Inoke Vunipolo 19. Dylan Strickland 20.Jared Allen 21. Jesse Hoara 23. Joseph Eneliko COACH: Adam Hartigan |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP Can you believe that this weekend we will be a third of the way through the competition proper? Has it gone fast or what? In the Harold Matthews Cup Parramatta are the trail blazers after trouncing the Bulldogs and St George in the first two rounds and in the process accumulating an impressive 116 points for and only 6 against. Coach Chris Bradbury must be pleased with his young charges. Following the Eels closely with two out of two wins are Western Suburbs, South Sydney, Penrith, Newcastle and Manly in that order on percentages. I have chosen the Newcastle vs Manly game as the feature match in Harold Matthews this week. In other games I expect Western Suburbs to be too strong for the Bulldogs. The clash of the traditional rivals St George and South Sydney should see the Rabbitohs undefeated after three rounds. Parramatta Eels will win well against the Central Coast. Norths will struggle against the Panthers. Roosters will get the money over South Western Sydney Academy. Canberra over Western Sydney. It will be a draw in the Illawarra and Balmain game. FEATURE MATCH NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS VS MANLY SEA EAGLES It’s 5th vs 6th with these traditional rivals with both teams notching two wins from their first two hit outs. Manly defeated the Bulldogs last week 28-10 and in the first round defeated 28-14. Newcastle defeated the Roosters 30-24 last week while a week earlier they beat St George 44-4. Newcastle centre Jack Jones has notched three tries in his first two games and knows how to sniff out a try. Manly will need to watch him. John Hopoate’s young son Jamil will play lock for the Sea Eagles and good judges rate him highly. Jamil is always looking for the ball and is solid in defence. This match could go either way but I’m tipping a close win to the Knights with their home ground advantage at Cessnock. Newcastle Knights 1. Stephen Widders 2. Steven Turnbull 3. Daniel Hennessy 4. Jack Jones 5. Mitch Nakhoul 6. Sam Keenan 7. Jarrad Rotumah 8. Blake Chaffey 9. Jack Laing 10. Jeremy Cropper 11. Jake Lawrence 12. Mitchell Stanton 13. Brad Russell14. Kilu Pangai 15. Josh Trotter-Whitlam 16. Ryan Siulai 17. Ricky Schien 18. Ben Langdon 19. Ben Dowdle 20. Jake Turnbull COACH: Kurt Hancock Manly Sea Eagles 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Jordan Menzies 3. Sam Gerry 4. Latrell Schaumkel 5. Luke Gosling 6. Blake Lang 7. Luke Walsh (c) 8. Jake Trbojevic 9. Fabian Natoli 10. Chris Alavanos 11. Luke Bartley 12. Fabian Goodall 13. Jamil Hopoate 14. Harrison Blake 15. Vinniey Baranyi 16. Wayne Anae 17. Jackson Kelly 18. Eddie Daingata'a 19. Robert Wolfgramm 21. Joey Lussick COACH: Justin Stewart |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By : Charlie Payne  MACKAY'S future stars in the under-16 and under-18 STM Mackay Cutters make a belated start to their seasons at Leprechaun Park tomorrow. Both teams play Northern Pride in lead-up games to the STM Mackay Cutters trial against the Cowboys under-20, after matches in their first round against Townsville were washed out last weekend. Those games have been rescheduled to next Saturday, March 6, at Townsville. While the under-18s lost 30–18 and the under-16s 34–10 in trail games against Central Comets, coaches Mick Baker and Kevin Langer said both sides are packed with potential. “It (the trial) gave us an idea of areas where we need to pick up,” Baker said of the under-18 team. Both sides have a total of eight matches in the Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga Cup, also playing Rockhampton, Cairns and the Northern Territory. The under-18s have two Cowboys-contracted players, front rower Jorden White and Daniel Matsen, who is named on the bench for today’s match. Centre Rogan Dean captained the side for the trial match and, after a strong effort, is likely to retain the position. Others to impress in the trial included centre Kailem Perkins, halfback Dylan Smith, and forwards Chris and Ben Buchholz and Brett Cuddihy. Dylan Bell, who was unavailable last week, comes into the side at five-eighth, with Jake Tass moving to the bench. The under-16s have a speed machine in their midst in centre Shilo Viti, who won the James Bidgood dash at the Cowboys trial match. Langer said he was looking at players like Kelton Dorante, five-eighth Brendan Mansfield, halfback Eamon Kelly and hooker Jake Fortescue to step up to leadership roles in the side. He said he expected a big season from Kelly. “He’s a little quiet, but he’s all skill. “And Fortescue is a very strong defender.” THE TEAMS U18: 1 Ian Read, 2 Luke Vaccaneo, 3 Rogan Dean, 4 Kailem Perkins, 5 Zac Johnson, 6 Dylan Bell, 7 Dylan Smith, 8 Chris Buchholz, 9 Kellin Smith, 10 Jorden White, 11 Tyler O’Brien, 12 Ben Buchholz, 13 Brett Cuddihy; 14 Gilmore Levi, 15 Daniel Matsen, 16 Matthew Calligan, 17 David Jorgensen. Coach Mick Baker. U16: 1 Brydon Sutton, 2 Sean Ryall, 3 Shilo Viti, 4 Reid Cruise, 5 Alexandra Hay, 6 Brendan Mansfield, 7 Eamon Kelly, 8 Ryan Browning, 9 Jake Fortescue, 10 Michael Fairbairn, 11 Benjamin O’Leary, 12 Damon Mooney, 13 Daniel Champion; 14 Jake Tass, 15 Cody Williams, 16 Aidan Ferguson, 17 Kelton Dorante. GAME DAY - Mackay Cutters U16 v Northern Pride U16 tomorrow 2.15pm - Mackay Cutters U18 v Northern Pride U18 3.30pm - Leprechaun Park, South Mackay. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 25 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Sydney Roosters capped a memorable day on Sunday with local junior league team the Clovelly Crocodillies claiming the Junior Foundation Cup. It is the first time a team from the Eastern Suburbs junior league has won the under 8’s competition in its four years. The Crocodillies beat reigning premiers the Leichhardt Wanderers during golden point in the semi final where they progressed to the final against Campbelltown City. Fellow junior league club Bondi United bowed out in the opening round against Concord Burwood. The junior trophy was presented to a very excited Crocs team who were handed the Cup by Roosters captain Braith Anasta. Two under 8’s teams from each of the Western Suburbs, Balmain and Sydney Roosters Districts compete for the annual competition. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday 24 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By : Steve LITTLE - North Sydney BEARS Bears S G Ball centre Koleakikava Utoikamanu and winger Bevan De Vries have scored two tries each in their team’s hard fought win over the Balmain Tigers 20-10 at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday. The Bears scored early via a penalty and a great unload and high flying pass leading to Koleakikava Utoikamanu to score in the left corner – 4-0 to the Bears. Moments later Norths winger Bevan De Vries scored after a looping pass from Bears five-eighth Matt Place and North Sydney lead Balmain 8-0. Balmain hit back however in the last 10 minutes with tries to Jay Bonnell and Joel Luani to lead 10-8 at the halftime break. As the first half began a see sawing contest lead to both sides failing in attempts to score. It was Bears centre Koleakikava Utoikamanu that finished off some fine work by the Bears halves and with the conversion successful they grabbed the lead 14-10 with only 10 minutes left on the clock. But the most exciting play of the match came in the last 5. The Tigers had a massive overlap and looked set to stroll over in the corner, however a stray pass hit the deck and Bevan De Vries swooped and ran 90 metres the other way to notch 6 points for the Bears to take the match 20-10 over the Tigers. NORTH SYDNEY 20 (Koleakikava Utoikamanu 2, Bevan De Vries, tries, Matt Gladman, Bevan De Vries goals) defeated BALMAIN 10 (Jay Bonnell, Joel Luani tries, Jay Bonnell goals) Halftime 10-8 Balmain. In other matches the Balmain Tigers Harold Matts Team were too strong for the Bears winning 22-0. While further cuts to the NSW Cup squad are imminent after a trial against Cronulla won 22-16 by the Sharks. BALMAIN 22 (4 tries, 3 goals) defeated NORTH SYDNEY 0 Halftime 10-0 Balmain. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday 23 rd February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans have helped spread the rugby league word in Coffs Harbour today, visiting more than 300 students at three different schools in the area. Currently taking part in a five-day pre-season training camp in Coffs Harbour, the Jetstar Titans took time out from their training schedule to give back to the community following Saturday night’s strong 28-22 trial match win over Souths at BCU International Stadium. Jetstar Titans forwards Luke Bailey, Brad Meyers and Aaron Cannings along with outside back Joseph Tomane spent more than hour conducting a skills clinic and signing autographs for students at Bishop Druitt College. Indigenous duo Greg Bird and Shannon Walker led a joint skills clinic and question and answer session with students at Yarrawarra Aboriginal Centre, Corindi while other Jetstar Titans players attended a school assembly at Mary Help of Christians, Sawtell. It follows on from the recent Community Carnival blitz where the Jetstar Titans visited almost 90 schools and approximately 15,000 students in regional areas such as Ipswich, Logan, the Northern Rivers and Stanthorpe. “It’s nice to be able to give back to the community, especially in areas like this that we aren’t able to visit on a regular basis,’’ said Bailey of today’s visit. “We did some similar school visits in Coffs Harbour last year and it’s good to see the kids enjoying themselves.’’ The Jetstar Titans’ pre-season camp at Coffs Harbour wraps up on Wednesday before the squad leaves for Darwin on Thursday ahead of their final pre-season trial match against the North Queensland Cowboys at Richardson Park on Saturday night, February 27. The annual camp has been an important part of the club’s pre-season preparations in recent seasons. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturday 20 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story By : RLF Photo's By : ian Lovell.com Great Britain Community Lions U18s 0 v 40 France Juniors France Juniors completed their short Welsh tour unbeaten, following a convincing 40-0 win over the Great Britain Community Lions under 18s in Blackwood on Wednesday night. It was a fabulous team effort from the French as they graced the crowd with eight different try scorers and excelled in all aspects of the game. Following on from their 34-12 win over a plucky Welsh side on Sunday afternoon, this game was over as a contest by half-time as the Community Lions were outclassed by an excellent French team who have a number of players on the books of UTC, the feeder side to Super League’s Catalans Dragons. As the rules of the Community Lions means that they are unable to call on players who are in a Super League Academy League side (Crusaders play in the Gillette National Youth League), the home side suffered, lacking the abilities of players such as Ben and Rhys Evans of Warrington Wolves, who always shine for Wales at youth level. Despite Wales beating England 28-14 three weeks ago, just six of their players were selected tonight and the murmurs around the healthy crowd was that the quality of the Lions side arguably suffered as a result of having so few Welshmen. The home side had more of the ball in the first five minutes, but their inability to turn chances into tries ultimately cost them and France who eventually the first on the board, Pierre Louis Bourrel scoring in the corner. Lilian Albet, who had kicked so well on Sunday against Wales, sliced the conversion wide. From kick-off, France increased their lead when Remi Vignau got onto the end of a kick chase. Albet again failed to add the extras. To give them credit, Britain fought hard to get a try back straight away but their best chance was lost when David Orwell spilled the ball when under pressure ten metres from the try-line. The Lions also failed to break through as Loren Quick was unfortunate to knock on when trying to intercept a French pass just 20 metres out. A clean catch and he would have a clear run at the line. But as soon as the French regained possession, they scored again. This time it was Joseph Negre who found the line with an excellent individual try, brushing Lions defenders out of the way. Albet missed the kick for a third time so passed over the duties to Morgan Escare who made no mistake four minutes later when he converted Marc Meye’s well-worked score. As France continued to run riot, Escare , set up by Damien Cardace, ran through for the visitors’ fifth try and made no mistake converting it from in front of the posts. Even when the Lions did get over the line, it was to no avail. Dale Evans pin perfect bomb was caught by Rhys Lazenby but the effort was disallowed for off-side. And Britain’s last attempt before the interval was plucky but came to nothing as no-one had the vision to grasp onto Matthew Syron’s well-placed chip into the goal area. France were gifted an opportunity at the start of the second half and made no mistake. Glenn Riley’s knock on 20 metres from the Lions’ line gave France a scrum and a fine passing move with Guillaume Martinez scoring in the corner. Cardace brilliantly landed the conversion. Riley made up for his error straight away by doing well to catch the Lions’ short kick-off. They roamed their way upfield and despite winning a couple of scrums, once again, France’s defence held firm. Even when the Lions were awarded a penalty just 10 metres from the line, they were unable to capitalise on the few gaps in the tricolours’ line, despite the efforts of skipper Matthew Huby, the most determined player on the Lions side, who caused France more worries than most during the encounter. The loss of Huby through an injury for the final 15 minutes was the ultimate killer blow to the Lions. Lenny Foncillas rubbed salt into the wound as he pounced on a long kick through to score. Five minutes later, France finished the whitewash when Thibault Margalet created a gap for Remi Vignau to run through the tired Brits. Even when Britain had a final chance, their try was ruled out for a knock-on, which just about summed up their dismal evening.
Half-time: 0-24 Men of the match: France – Morgan Escare, Lions – Matthew Huby Gamestar: Morgan Escare, who will have a bright future at Catalans Dragons if carries on with performances like these. Gamebreaker: France’s virtually perfect performance in the first half hour. They defended well and the Lions had no answer to their quality in attack. Scoring Sequence: 0-4, 0-8, 0-12, 0-18, 0-24, 0-30, 0-34, 0-40 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday 19 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 RUGBY LEAGUE: Like most Aussie brothers, the Clarke boys grew up playing footy against each other in the backyard. And in a few years they could be on opposing sides of South-East Queensland’s great NRL rivalry. Dane, 17, and Jackson, 14, have been picked up by rival NRL clubs Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos respectively. And both have the lasting desire to make it to the top of the game. Big brother Dane has landed a starting spot in the Titans’ Under-18 Mal Meninga Cup team, while young Jackson has been drafted into Brisbane’s elite player development squad. Their selections continue the success of the boys in rugby league. Both Clarkes are back-rowers and they look built to last in a sport which chews up and spits out the weak. But the similarities don’t end there. Dane and Jackson are products of the Ballina Seagulls and have captained their Group One junior rugby league representative teams – for five years. Dane models his game on tireless Parramatta champion Nathan Hindmarsh, while Jackson likes to think of himself as a wide-running back-rower in the mould of the Dragons’ Ben Creagh. Hindmarsh and Creagh are internationals, which gives an insight to where these kids’ ambitions lie. The Clarkes are part of a quintet of Seagulls juniors who have been spotted by the top-flight clubs from across the border. Damian Sironen will play alongside Dane in the Titans’ Mal Meninga Cup squad. Fifteen-year-old Alex Grant has a three-year contract with the club and will turn out in the halves for Gold Coast’s Cyril Connell Cup Under-16 team. And Jackson will have a mate at the Broncos – his Seagulls comrade Jay Meaney has also been selected as part of the club’s elite player development squad. With the five Seagulls boys determined to excel, feathers are sure to fly between the Titans and the Broncos in the years to come. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 The Young Comets were “jumping out of their skin” to play their first game of the season tonight but the weather had other ideas. Fears from the under-18s Comets coach Steve Parle have been confirmed with both junior teams of the Comets and Northern Pride unable to make it to their playing field in Bowen after floods continue across Queensland. “Bowen is under and we won't be able to make it there – and there is more heavy rain to come,” Parle said yesterday. “It is a real pity because the boys are jumping out of their skin to play.” The game will now be postponed and played in two weeks, with a double header against Northern Pride. Parle said the boys were confident after the under-18's strong win by 40-16 against Mackay Cutters last weekend at Browne Park. “I was really happy with that game but mainly in the sense that we were able to trial all of the players,” he said. Although the Young Comets will miss their first game, it will give the players time to recover with several suffering from injuries. Sam Pierce, who was injured in last weekend's game against Mackay Cutters, will now have more time to recover before the big game. The under-16 Comets were prepared for Northern Pride after their victorious win against Mackay Cutters by 38-10. Despite the disappointing miss the Young Comets will now charge forward on their home turf on March 5 and 6 against Northern Pride. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 18 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KEEBRA PARK THE SEASON SO FAR. Well its back to football for the students enrolled in the football specialisation program at Keebra Park SHS and there have already been some good signs. Well done to Zac Walsh who was selected in the Queensland Murri to take on the NSW Kooris as a curtain raiser to the Allstars game at Skilled Park last weekend. Unfortunately the game didnt go their way but im sure Zac gained some useful experience. In other news the school put a sevens side into the Queensland Reds sevens competition and finished top of their group beating some of the best Union sides in the area including St Josephs College Nudgee. They now face a semi final against the fancied Brisbane State High and a rematch with Nudgee if they win that game. These games are to be played as curtain raisers to the Reds versus Canterbury game and Suncorp on Friday night. They may well be short with a number of the team flying down to Sydney for SG Ball duty but whatever the result it has been a great effort from boys with no union background. Early trials against PBC showed that the Under 14s will be a side to be reckoned with this year and there are upcoming trials in all grades. Well done to graduates Corey Norman who is progressing well at the Broncos and there is good news from the Tigers with the boys going well down there. The under 16 side also looks like they will give the Titans Competition a shake with nine (9) of this side already aelected and playing for the Titans Cyril Connell Cup team.  So far so good and we'll update the Union results as they happen .. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL KEEBRA PARK RUGBY LEAGUE PROGRAM |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Story & Photo By : Charlie Payne  FORMER Mackay rugby league player Joseph Collins is bursting with pride after playing for the Queensland under-16 indigenous side at the Gold Coast last weekend. Collins played front row in the 24-14 loss to the NSW under-16 indigenous unit, a curtain-raiser to the inaugural Indigenous All Stars game. “I did all right,” he said about the game. “In the first half we led 18-16. In the second half they got an intercept try.” Collins said he was proud to have played in the match and to have met legendary indigenous players Lionel Morgan and Tonie Currie in the lead-up camp. Morgan, 71, was the first indigenous Australian selected to play in a recognised rugby league Test match, playing three Tests against France in 1960. He was the first to represent Australia at an international level in any major sporting team. Morgan is still involved in rugby league as a coach and mentor of the under-16 Queensland indigenous team while Currie, a former Brisbane Broncos player, was team manager of the Indigenous All Stars. “It was really good meeting him,” Collins said of Morgan. “He’s a good man, he told us stories about being an Aboriginal back then, how hard it was. “He told me just to think about the people, where we came from.” It was the first representative match for Collins, who began playing rugby league for Magpies in Mackay at the age of six, before moving to Acacia Ridge with his family in 2002 where he still plays for the local team. He is a cousin of former Olympic athlete Cathy Freeman – who he considers his idol – and his family includes some big names in rugby league in the north, including his uncles Norman Freeman, Justin Doyle and Bevan Doyle. His grandfather Harold Doyle played Foley Shield for Mackay and his great grandfather Frank Fisher was a well-known rugby league player for the Cherbourg community. Mum Roya Doyle said Joseph had been responsible for his own training and had kept incredibly fit. He recently obtained a traineeship with Australia Post and is looking out for younger brother Matthew. In Year 11 at Nyanda State High School, he is completing a school-based traineeship for a Certificate 111 in Business and would one day like to own his own carpentry business. “I’m proud of him, as a single mum he has always helped me out and he has very strong family values,” Roya said. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 18 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Three Bulldog SG Ball forwards have been suspended for a total of five weeks for indiscretions against Parramatta last Saturday at The Crest sporting Fields. Second rower David Minute and prop Damien Karipa were put on report for a nasty spear tackle on Parramatta half back Jason Seage. They have each received a two weeks suspension. Lock Paul Carter an AIS representative was subsequently charged with spitting. He received a one week suspension. PAUL CARTER WAS EXONERATED OF THESE CHARGES, sorry Paul, Steve and family
He played Australian AIS last season and the big Queenslander was the best player on the field last week against a Cronulla team containing gun prop Rodney Moefaao. The game will be played at the Terry Lamb Complex at 11.15 am on Saturday. 1. James Vaka 2. Marouin Estephan 3. Aiden Carney 4. Kayse Greer 5. Sam Vaka 6. Luke Keary 7. Josh Drinkwater 8. Cale Hobday 9. Alex Langbridge 10. Corey Hewitson 11. Lincoln Turbidy 12. Nathan Clarke (c) 13. Haami Kerr-Tuaapiki 14. Luke Vescio 15. Luke Waipouri 16. Aaron Weston 17. Matt Ikavalu 18. Jordan Meredith 19. Jake Fuller 20. Chad Davis 21. Jaziah Dawson 22. Sani Vea 23. Peter Brent COACH: Mark Mahoney. CANTERBURY - BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS 1. Gerard McCallum 2. Matthew Fukofuka 3. Siua Lapuaho 4. Chris Taripo 5. James O’Brien 6. Samisoni Langi 7. Matthew Hartney 8. Damien Karipa 9. Dean Janda © 10. Oliver Gordon 11. Jack Buchanan 12. Leilani Latu 13. Paul Carter 14. David Minute 15. Wilson Faanoi 16. David Klemmer 17. Keelan Akavi 18. Brenden Santi 19. Brad Spencer 20. Aaron Sowter 21. Nathan Taotua 22. Brad Cameron 23. Nathan Mare COACH: Nathan TowneyStay tuned for my preview of this week's feature match Western Academy vs Western Suburbs. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The WA Reds have opened their 2010 campaign with a win over last year’s finalists the Balmain Tigers at ME Bank Stadium last Sunday. Both sides began well in the sweltering conditions with the Tigers having the majority of the ball which tested the Reds defence. The Reds defended well until the 16th minute when the Tigers barged over to score after having possession for consecutive sets following handling errors by the Reds. In the 26th minute the Reds attacked the Tigers line down the short side through captain Joe Napoletano who ran with vigour attracting two defenders before offloading to Curtis Rona who dove over to record the Reds first points of the match. Confidence was gained from their first points and on their next visit to the Tigers half of the field hooker Tom Lidden barged over their try South Perth product Daniel Westerduin was next to score after second rower Curtis Rona showed good feet to draw two defenders to pass to Westerduin who streaked down the sideline to score minutes before half time. The Reds went into the break leading 14 to 4. Again each side began well with a tough fifteen minute period where both sides struggled for dominance of the game. It was the Reds that prevailed scoring again after hooker Tom Lidden received the ball in broken play and directed a nice pass to a strong running Curtis Rona who busted through the Tigers defensive line offloading to Greg Ranga who showed good feet to score. Balmain were back on the attack and received a penalty deep in the reds half of the field. They capitalised on the opportunity through their hooker who darted from dummy half and sold a nice dummy to a Reds defender to cross the try line and score. With 15 minutes remaining in their first S.G. Ball fixture the Reds would score again on two occasions. Strong running prop Josh Pedersen broke through the Tigers defensive line to run 20 metres before offloading to Jesse Prasad who then offloaded to a flying Adam Quinlan who scored beneath posts. Dean Ferris would set up the Reds final four pointer after offloading a nice ball to Greg Ranga who showed good vision to move to the ball towards Curtis Rona who rolled over the line to score his second try of the day. Coach Andrew Korn was impressed with his players courage and commitment throughout the game, “they really took it to Balmain and we played well in patches”. “We certainly need to improve our completion rate and were very lucky that Balmain suffered from the same problem”. “The players all now realise that although we had a win we have a lot of improving to do, our work off the ball and completion rate needs to improve dramatically if we are to win again”. WA Reds 28 defeated Balmain Tigers 8 Tries: Curtis Rona 2, Adam Quinlan, Greg Ranga, Daniel Westernduin & Tom Lidden.Conversions: Curtis Rona & Eddie Proudler. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday 17 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIVERMORE QUESTIONS INDIGENOUS TEAM CONCEPT Story BY : Brad Walter and Greg Pritchard  Queensland officials have questioned the purpose of an indigenous team. Despite the overwhelming success of the event, which raised $2 million for NRL-backed community projects and attracted more than 1.3 million television viewers, QRL boss Ross Livermore said players should aspire to represent their state or country. "It is my opinion and the QRL's opinion that we should support the under-16s indigenous NSW-versus-Queensland game,'' Livermore told Rugby League Week. ''Aside from that, players of all backgrounds should strive to represent NSW, Queensland, Australia or their overseas country. That is our position." Livermore is out of step with ARL chief executive Geoff Carr, who told the Herald this week his organisation supported the match. The criticism also comes as Campbell prepares to lobby for the indigenous team to play against a full Test side, with New Zealand his preference. ''Those guys have got a proud history as well and I reckon they would really warm to it,'' Campbell said. ''But I'm sure the indigenous boys would love to play against any of the top nations, apart from Australia - the Kiwis, Great Britain, France or PNG. I know it's a pretty crowded schedule these days, but maybe there's a way of fitting in a game like this in the next couple of years.'' Told of Campbell's hopes, Manly forward George Rose said: ''That would be unbelievable. It was great to be involved last week and I'd do anything to be a part of that team again.'' ARL Indigenous Council chairman William ''Smiley'' Johnstone said the code had shown the way for all sports in indigenous participation and reconciliation by staging the All Stars game. "From the ARL appointment of Ricky Walford as its indigenous rugby league manager to the formation of the ARL Indigenous Council to advise the game on indigenous matters, rugby league has been taking significant steps for some time,'' Johnstone said. Meanwhile, Livermore denied officials attending the QRL's annual conference on the Gold Coast had boycotted the All Stars match. "We originally were going to buy 400 tickets to it for all our delegates," he said. "But then we realised the times clashed. One of our directors, Greg Sutherland, was at the game - so I don't know how you can say we boycotted it." |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sixteen local clubs and more than 300 stars of the future embraced the inaugural Newcastle Permanent Mega Registration evening at EnergyAustralia Stadium last night, highlighting Rugby League’s future in one of the game’s greatest nurseries. Club’s from Newcastle and as far afield as Nelson Bay, Raymond Terrace and Maitland joined the entire Knights NRL Squad and Coach, Rick Stone for an opportunity to register with their team for the 2010 season. “If tonight’s attendance is any indication Rugby League in our region is in great shape heading into the 2010 season,” Stone said. “Occasions like this give kids an opportunity to meet their heroes and set goals for the future.” Registrations were followed by an opportunity to ‘feel’ the stadium atmosphere with all young players offered the chance to take a footy onto the pitch and experience the arena before a tour of the change rooms, hosted by Knights NRL players. “The players really embraced the opportunity to show our junior players and their families through the stadium, said Stone.” In a major coup for Junior Rugby League in the Newcastle and Hunter region, Newcastle Permanent announced a one year sponsorship extension with a further two year option. Newcastle Permanent CEO, Terry Millett said the Combined Junior Rugby League Registration Day provides an excellent opportunity for junior players to meet their favourite first grade players and learn some ball handling skills before the 2010 Rugby League season. “Newcastle Permanent supports local families involved in Junior Rugby League through its long term sponsorship of the Newcastle Knights Junior Development Program.” “The Junior Development Program is a school-based programme that promotes exercise and a healthy lifestyle to local school children. We are delighted to play a part in nurturing junior sport in the region,” Mr. Millett said. Knights CEO, Steve Burraston said the announcement continues the Newcastle Permanent’s relationship as the Knights official financial partner and helps secure the future of Junior Rugby League. “Newcastle Permanent’s sponsorship of the Knights directly benefits the future of our game throughout Newcastle and the Hunter,” he said. “This is so much more than a sponsorship - it’s an investment in the development of home grown stars and contributes to our dream of giving every young player the opportunity to realise their NRL dream with the Newcastle Knights. “The Perm is to be praised for the contribution it makes to Junior Rugby League.” |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Round 2 of the Junior Representative Season will see The North Sydney Bears face The Balmian Tigers at Leichhardt Oval this Saturday from 4:30 p.m. On Sunday NSW Cup Coach Wayne Lambkin will look to make final cuts to his pre-season squad when they trial against The Cronulla Sharks at Erskineville Oval, Fox Avenue, Erskineville. ROUND TWO JUNIOR REPS Balmain Tigers V North Sydney BearsSaturday 20 February 2010 S G Ball: 5:50 pm Harold Matthews: 4:30 pm Leichhardt Oval, Mary Street, Leichhardt.
NSW CUP TRIAL Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks V North Sydney BearsNSW Cup: 6:00 pm Erskineville Oval, Fox Avenue, Erskineville. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| tUESDAY 16 TH fEBRUARY 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BULLDOGS DRAW FIRST BLOOD IN SG BALL The Bulldogs have defeated the Parramatta Eels 18-14 in the round one clash of the titans at The Crest Sporting Fields Bass Hill on Saturday. The game was played in constant rain and the conditions were heavy. The football Gods were not smiling at The Crest and the rain ruined any chance either team had of showing the abundant number of supporters in attendance what they had. The game was marred by constant dropping of the football by both sides but to the boys’ credit they did mange to put together some nice phases of play and some scintillating tries. The Eels opened the scoring in the 5th minute of play when their five eight Jason Wehbe seeing an opportunity out wide executed a perfectly timed crossfield kick for his winger Jacob Gagen to score in the corner. Conversion unsuccessful, Parra lead 4-0. The game is a battle for field position in the next fifteen minutes as both teams smashed each other in defence. The next score came in the 22nd minute when the Dogs put up a high ball to Eels fullback Chris Ulugia. Although not under pressure he spilled the ball and a scrum was set with the Dogs feed. After a couple of plays big bench forward David Klemmer was unstoppable close to the line and scores a determined try. Conversion successful by Chris Taripo. Bulldogs 6 lead Parra 4. Just before half time Parramatta’s Queensland import Dean Blackman took on the Dog’s defence five metres out and scores a great individual try. Wehbe kicks the conversion. Parra now go into half time with a 10-6 lead. Five minutes into the second half the Dogs exploit a defensive weakness from the Eels second rower Matthew Eisenhuth and allows centre Chris Taripo to score out wide. A great conversion by that man Taripo again and the Dogs take the lead 12-10. The Dogs again exploit the Eels left hand side defence and this time it’s winger James O’Brien who sniffs out the try. Another great conversion out wide by Taripo and the Dogs now lead 18-10. The last twelve minutes of the match saw Parramatta continually bombard the Dogs defence but they kept dropping the ball. Twice Eels players Jason Seage and Wehbe were held up over the line. It wasn’t until the 65th minute of the game that Eels speedy winger Jacob Gagen went over for his second try after a good cut out pass from Ulugia. Conversion unsuccessful by Wehbe and the Bulldogs win the game18-14. There were some good performances in both teams. For the Bulldogs I thought their wily hooker and captain Dean Janda was good, David Klemmer caused the Eels problems on numerous occasions while AIS representative Paul Carter was good in the tough. For the Eels I thought Gagen and Wehbe had solid games while their lock Luke Fishburn was always in the action. Two Bulldogs forwards David Minute and Damien Karipa are on report for a nasty spear tackle on Parramatta’s Jason Seage. Thankfully Seage got to his feet after a few anxious minutes of medical attention and played on. The Bulldogs will have to be careful if they don’t run foul of the referees this season. They play right to the edge and they appeared to get away with many high shots that went undetected by the match officials. Both teams in my view need to take a look at their selections. Dogs fullback Gerard McCallum was wasted at fullback and I think they need to get him closer to the action. I’m surprised the Dogs did not give their Harold Matthews winning fullback from last year Peter Irwin a shot at the position. Bench forwards David Klemmer and David Minute proved they should be in the starting lineup from next week after prodigious efforts against the Eels. Parramatta has to look at their selections if the team is going to be the force it is capable of being this season. They have a clear shortage of props. They went into the game with two under 17 props after dynamic first choice Jarrod Azar withdrew before the game with injury. Country tyro and Australian AIS player Zacc Douglas came off the bench and dropped the ball twice. He has a long way to go and should succeed if he can put 100 % into it. Dean Blackman at hooker is another. He looks like a tough durable player and was rated one of the top rakes in Queensland. He played ok on Saturday and scored a good try. However his game has flaws. The problem is he jumps out of dummy half and takes two steps sideways before delivering the ball to his runners. A few times yesterday his runners were hammered by the strong Dogs defence. One wag in the crowd suggested Blackman was doing a “Gregan”, a reference to the former great Wallaby who later in his career developed the bunny hop to the side before passing the football. In the Harold Matthews game Parramatta smashed the Bulldogs 42-0. Great games by props Pauli Pauli and Frazer Masinamua, lock Danny Fualalo, half Mitchell Moses and bench hooker Zach Clay. BULLDOGS 18 (C Taripo J O'Brien D Klemmer tries C Taripo 3 goals) bt PARRAMATTA 14 (J Gagan 2 D Blackman tries J Wehbe goal). PK’s BEST ON GROUND 3 – Dean Janda Dogs hooker 2 – David Klemmer Dogs bench forward 1 – Jason Wehbe Eels five eight |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KNIGHTS MEGA REGISTRATION EVENING - TONIGHT Hundreds of local juniors from 16 clubs throughout Newcastle, Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley will join the Newcastle Knights this evening at EnergyAustralia Stadium for the inaugural Newcastle Permanent Mega Registration evening. The region’s stars of the future and their families have been invited to ‘bring a footy’ and join the Knights NRL squad and Coach, Rick Stone for a run on the stadium surface and change room tours after registering for the 2010 season. Details are as follows: WHAT: Mega Registration Evening WHERE: EnergyAustralia Stadium WHEN: 5.30am – 7.00pm, Tuesday 16 February, 2010 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
:  Former Tingha Tiger junior rugby league player Nick Monckton will make his debut for the St George Dragons in the SG Ball U-18s competition tomorrow. The 17 year-old five-eighth, who also played minor league in Inverell, has been in Sydney since November for pre-season training. St George plays Newcastle at Cessnock in the first match of the season and Nick is looking forward to the challenge. "It's something I've worked really hard for and I want to do my best,'' Nick said. "We had a pretty hard off season training and did plenty of work including weights, ball sessions and field work.'' Nick is coached by former Dragon first grader Lance Thompson and he said that's a pretty amazing feeling. "I'm learning plenty down here training four to five days a week,'' Nick said. Nick attends Endeavour Sports High School where he is in Year 12. "It's been a big move for me coming from the country and my biggest inspiration has been my family - they have set me up and helped me along the way,'' Nick said. Former Dragon Nathan Blacklock has also guided Nick to prepare him for the big move to city football. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Mittagong Lions junior star Daniel Alvaro's flight to Brisbane today is more than just a regular journey. The 16-year old has been contracted to the Brisbane Broncos for two years and rugby league's starting to get serious. He and Moss Vale's Matt Thorpe play their first match in the Mal Meninga Cup tomorrow, Queensland's top level of football for players under-18. Alvaro and Thorpe board the plane with the knowledge that a good performance tomorrow could go a long way to fulfilling their NRL dreams. The pair will fly to Brisbane every week for the next two months to run out for the Easts Tigers. A good season could see them rewarded with their first professional contract, a Toyota Cup start for 2011. Daniel Alvaro may only be 16, but he's already a legend down at Mittagong. The hulking 100kg front-rower has a reputation for being fierce on the field, but continually shows he's a gentle giant off it. And it's this attitude that could take him all the way to the top of rugby league according to Mittagong JRL club life member Bob Hall. Hall, who has overseen Alvaro's development at the club, said the prop was as good a player as he had seen at the Lions. "We've had our share of players go on to NRL level," Hall said. "But this kid's certainly up there with them at this stage." It's a big wrap to put Alvaro in line with the Aubusson brothers, Illawarra legend Ian Russell and Cronulla's Barry Andrews, but its one Hall doesn't make lightly. "He's a super kid on and off the field," Hall said. "He is that popular with all the other members of the club - the youngsters eat out of his hands. "On game day he can be the last to leave. He's happy to help out cleaning up the field, doing the barbecue - anything." Alvaro's been given a shot at a professional career by the Brisbane Broncos. A Broncos scout noticed him a few seasons ago and since then he has been monitored very closely by the club. Alvaro is often flown to Brisbane for training and tomorrow starts a two-month Mal Meninga Cup season, which requires him to fly to Queensland each week. "They haven't really said anything [about the future] but I just want to go well in this tournament," Alvaro said before leaving. The Chevalier Year 12 student has his sights firmly set on a Toyota Cup contract, but knows he will have to earn it. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 MORE than four years ago junior rugby league brought these five Raymond Terrace Roosters together. Fittingly Blake Chaffey, Ricky Schein, Ben Langdon, Jack Jones and Jayden Eneliko will also make their representative debuts in each others company. They were all named in the Knights Harold Matthews (under 16) team for 2010 after selection trials against fellow NRL clubs Parramatta and Manly late last year. ‘‘They are all just so excited,’’ said Jayden’s mother Shonnett. As the boys attend different schools across the Hunter and live in separate Port suburbs, this friendship group has been forged entirely in the rugby league furnace. The Terrace consortium has been ‘‘very driven’’ since hearing the news of their joint association with the Newcastle club, according to Shonnett who said dreams of SG Ball (under 18s) and Toyota Cup (under 20s) were already forming for the boys. ‘‘I think that is definitely the plan, these boys absolutely love it.’’ The Terrace juniors are already getting a taste of what responsibilities face them in a career on the football field. An education session and three on-field sessions are part of the weekly Harold Matthews schedule. The Harold Matthews season will start later this month, running for nine weeks and a final series. Also in Port league news, Terrace-based South Newcastle centre Tyrone Dodd was selected along side Soldiers Point forward Nathan Cooper in the Knights SG Ball line up for 2010. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday 12 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 The Forbes Magpies Junior Rugby League Club has produced its fair share of talented footballers over the years, including Canberra Raiders forward Josh Miller, and is looking forward to signing up a new breed of champions this weekend. The club will hold the first of two registration days this Saturday at Forbes Sports and Recreation Club, and is welcoming anyone interested in playing for one of its seven age division teams. The Magpies will field teams in under 7s, under 8s, 10s, 11s, 12s, 14s and under 16s this year, competing against clubs like Parkes, Condobolin, West Wyalong and Red Bend in the junior Group 11 competition. President of the junior Magpies, Cameron Greenhalgh, said the club is looking forward to a successful season, with coaches and managers of all grades appointed, and major sponsors secured. Cameron said the Magpies have brand new guernseys, shorts and socks this season, carrying the names of major sponsors Jack’s Irrigation, Gunns Mensland, the Vandenberg Hotel, Forbes Concrete, Calvani Haulage, Steve Gaffney Building, and Jack and Greenhalgh Building. Forbes Inn is the sponsor for all shorts. Cameron said anyone who registers this Saturday (or the following Saturday, February 20) would receive their new shorts and socks, and receive a free barbecued sausage and drink. Registration is $50 per player, and new players to the club are required to bring two passport size photos and two copies of their birth certificate (anyone who has played with the Magpies before does not need to bring these items). Registrations will take place from 12pm to 2pm at the Sports and Recreation Club this Saturday and between the same times on Saturday, February 20. Coaches this season are Chris Morrison, Kevin Bell and Craig Parsons (under 7s and 8s); Russell McMahon and Matt Morris (under 10s); Jack Hall and Matthew Jack (under 11s); Russell Hill and Troy Hurford (under 12s); Cameron Greenhalgh and Shane Bolam (under 14s); Jeffrey Brown, Rod Caldwell, Ian Hodges and Michael Skinner (under 16s). Cameron Greenhalgh said the junior Magpies are looking forward to the 2010 season. “We had a bit of a lean year last season, so hopefully we’ll turn that around this year,” he said. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAMPS OFFER GREAT VALUE QUEENSLAND youngsters can choose from a range of Holiday Fun and Development Camps in 2010. For over 20 years the Development Campshave been conducted by the League to provide aspiring young players with access to the highest levels of coaching expertise available. Coaches from our NRL clubs, Queensland Academy of Sport and other elite programs give up their time to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation. The Camps have evolved to encompass First Aid and Coaching accreditation courses and are run in Townsville and Toowoomba each year. Development Camps commonly run over four nights and five days. Now an integral component of the program the Mod Games Camp concept commenced in 2006, providing children with a great rugby league experience, fun activities and healthy living advice. Mod Games Camps commonly run over three days and two nights and can include activities such as archery, swimming,laser skirmish, rope climbing, and of course rugby league skills.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 11 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I had to look twice when I first saw the draw and these two powerhouses were meeting in the first round of the junior representative season. There is no doubt this game is worthy to be played on 8 May 2010 – the date of the grand final. Ourfootyteam has published the two team line-ups today courtesy of the NSWRL website. Let’s hope this practice continues as there are many fans around Australia that have a thirst for junior reps information. We know that with the number of clicks on our website on anything related to the junior reps and from extensive feedback from you - the fans. There are some interesting selections in both teams. The Dogs will start their new recruit Gerard McCallum at fullback. The Parramatta Eels junior has played most of his seasons at half back but that position has gone to former Dragon Matthew Hartney. The Dogs also appear to be cotton-wooling their prized Harold Matthews players from last year in David Klemmer and Davis Minute who have picked up bench spots. They shouldn’t be so concerned as the Eels are playing two of their matts boys from last year in the pack, Joseph Ualesi and Josh Neale. Bulldog lock Paul Carter will be one to watch. The former country and AIS rep has a few raps on him. Parramatta has kept the nucleus of their 2008 winning Matthews team with eight players in the squad this year. A notable omission is hooker Nick Folino who was sent to the academy again this year. Ourfootyteam named Folino in our NSW All Stars Second team last year when he was only under 17. We believed he was the second best hooker in the state behind only Endeavour’s Cameron King. The Eels have brought Dean Blackman down from Queensland to cover hooker. He must be a good player. The other selection is that of half/fullback Jason Seage on the bench. He showed playing for The Hills Sports High School last year he is a player with great speed and attacking flair as well as a requisite level of mongrel in defence. Perhaps he will be used as a utility to cover a variety of positions? In any event it is a brave coach that splits up a proven halves combination of Jason Wehbe and Jason Seage who have performed at club, school and rep level in the past. I haven’t seen either team trial this year but I understand Penrith beat the Dogs in a trial and Newcastle beat the Eels. Trial form is hard to gauge with junior reps as many players are trialing with 20’s and many are rested to give possible players a chance to shine. The Eels go into the game underprepared in my opinion with only one game together against Illawarra. On paper I think the Dogs will stun the Eels with a ten point win. The game will be played at Hammondville Oval at 6.30 pm. In other games the Sharks who will play former Eel Rodney Moefaauo will beat Manly, Penrith will be too strong for the Central Coast with half Harry Seijka making a welcome return to the reps, Western Suburbs will be too big in the forwards for Canberra, the Storm boosted by last years Aussie Schoolboy fullback Maipelle Morseau will crush the Illawarra Steelers, Knights over the Dragons and I can’t see a fairy tail win for the WA Reds in their inaugural game against Balmain. My two upsets this weekend are Norths over the Roosters and Western Academy over the Rabbitohs. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 THE Group 10 Orange and Blayney Mini League could be expanding in 2010. Last year, Bloomfield, CYMS and Blayney played their own mini league in the under 7, under 8 and under 9 age divisions. This meant the game’s youngest players only played in Orange and Blayney, rather than travelling across the region each Saturday. At the end of the season a carnival was held and included an under 6s division, which was a huge success. Due to the interest in the under 6s division, it is expected to be included in the 2010 mini league, providing the numbers are strong enough. With the three clubs holding sign-ons in the near future, this is the perfect opportunity for children to enrol in the under 6 competition. Orange CYMS juniors will be the first to hold their sign-on this Sunday at Norton Park from 10am-1pm. Blayney juniors will hold sign-ons on Tuesday, February 23 and Thursday, February 25 from 4-6pm at King George Oval, while anyone wanting to sign up with Bloomfield can do so on February 28 at Club Newstead from 10am-2pm. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday 10 th February | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wendell Sailor today declared his support of a schools program that will use high profile sportspeople to encourage and reward the academic, cultural and sporting achievements of Indigenous secondary school students. The ARTIE program, an acronym for ‘Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education’, is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and will be delivered by the Former Origin Greats (FOGS) in six Queensland State High Schools in 2010, with plans to expand it into more schools in future years. Students at Bundamba, Ipswich, Redbank Plains, Marsden, Woodridge and Beenleigh State High Schools will interact with various high profile athletes, including swimmer Jessicah Schipper and athletics champion Patrick Johnson, through mentoring, classroom and sports team visits, cultural workshops and camps, and an innovative e-learning program featuring on-line tutorials and podcasts. ARTIE focuses on active participation in school subjects, high levels of school attendance, satisfactory or improved literacy and numeracy levels, responsible behaviour at school or when representing the school, personal growth and a positive work ethic. ARTIE Director, Vicki Wilson, believes the program will produce results. “These ARTIE students will have a fantastic opportunity to improve themselves in a number of ways. Plus, they will have full support throughout the program,” Wilson said. “The six schools have already been really excited about the program, and through the support of DEEWR, we are confident that this program will be a success.” The Minister for Sport and Youth, Kate Ellis, is delighted that the Government’s investment in the program of $4.5 million over four years will be delivering benefits to young Indigenous people. “Sport is a great motivator and a powerful tool to teach important life lessons. “There is no greater lesson in life than knowing the value of a good education,” Ms Ellis said. “Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth have a passion and talent for sport and Former Origin Greats is harnessing that to motivate students to stay in school.” For more information, please contact: Amanda Rose – Major League Corporate Marketing – 0415 110 535 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday 9 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Next week the Melbourne Storm will embark on their extremely popular annual Community Carnival where many of the Club’s stars will visit the Goulburn-Murray region to teach young and enthusiastic school kids all about rugby league. Next Tuesday, many Storm players including premiership stars Cooper Cronk, Brett Finch, Brett White and Sika Manu will visit the Corowa, Wangaratta and Wodonga Junior Rugby League Clubs. The evening will begin with each Club’s major recruitment and registration drive, followed by a session where the players pass on their knowledge and skills to both junior players and coaches. The following day the players will conduct clinics involving 24 schools from the local region where they will pass on their skills to over 3000 very lucky primary and secondary school children (see below for full details). Cronk, the Storm’s dual-premiership winning halfback, can’t wait to get into country Victoria to spread the rugby league gospel. “I remember when I was a kid what a thrill it was when I could be coached by NRL players visiting our area in Queensland, and I’m more than happy to be doing the same here in Victoria,” said Cronk. “The game is growing at an amazing speed here and anything I can do to help the game grow I’ll do. “It’s always fun to get away from the day to day grind of pre-season and give something back to the community, and I’m looking forward to meeting the kids in the area who have a real interest in rugby league.” The players and Melbourne Storm Development Staff will deliver the “Eat Well, Play Well, Stay Well” message when visiting primary school children, an NRL national health program aimed at using the profile of NRL players to reduce the incidents of childhood obesity. While visiting secondary school children, they will deliver the NRL’s “Dream, Believe, Achieve” message which promotes goal setting, and ways to realise their own future visions. COMMUNITY CARNIVAL DETAILS Tuesday, February 9: 6.30pm – Corowa Cougars - Corowa Airport Ground, Redlands Rd, Corowa Wednesday, February 10: Wangarrata Group 1 (Storm players involved – Sika Manu, Louis Fanene) Wangarratta Group 2 (Storm players involved – Cooper Cronk, Ryan Tandy) Wangarratta Group 3 (Storm players involved – Dane Chisholm, Jesse Bromwich) Wodonga Group 1 (Storm players involved – Brett Finch, Sam Joe) Wodonga Group 2 (Storm players involved – Luke Kelly, Matt Duffie) Wodonga Group 3 (Storm players involved – Brett White, Luke MacDougall) Corowa Group 1 (Storm players involved – Dane Nielsen, Sione Kite) Corowa Group 2 (Storm players involved – James Woolford, Sinbad Kali) Albury Group 1 (Storm players involved – Gareth Widdop, Justin O’Neill) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday 8 th Feburary 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ACADEMY SIDES MORE THAN MATCH IT WITH NRL JUNIORS WESTS Greater Northern Academy teams stood firm against bigger and more match-hardened NRL junior sides at Cessnock on Saturday, with three wins recorded from four games. The region’s best youngsters took on teams from the Newcastle Knights and Bulldogs and both GNA sides impressed their coaches. The Maroon (under 17s) side started the day against the Knights and was unlucky to lose 4-nil. “I think we were the better side in that game but a bit of fatigue at the end gave them an opportunity, which they took,” head coach Jamie McCormack said. “But it was very positive for their first hit-out.” In their second game, the Maroon boys beat the Bulldogs 12-nil. “We were very pleased with that,” McCormack said. “I think the best thing is that the things we’ve taught them over the summer program came to the fore. “They were very good right across the board. The Yellow (under 18s) team won both of its games, starting with a 16-4 win over the Bulldogs and then a 12-4 success against the Knights. “The only try they conceded was an intercept,” McCormack said. “So for both sides they only gave away two tries between them so the defence was very good. “It was really good to see the second years play really well and you can see they have really improved over the program. “Their team structure was very professional. “Coach Chris Brennan was very impressed across the board.” McCormack said interchanging hookers Jack Pawsey and Logan Harris were among the standouts in the Maroon side and helped dominate the ruck area against the bigger NRL teams. Five-eighth Jamie Sampson was also exciting and played above his weight while Gunnedah centres Edin Blewitt and Hayden Jaeger were exceptional in the centres. For the Yellows, Jock McHattan led the way up front and showed how much he has improved during his time with the academy while Matt Allwood was also outstanding despite suffering from illness in the lead-up to the games. The GNA players head back to training next Sunday before playing Western Academy at Dubbo. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Recognised for their efforts, hard work and leadership during 2009 were members of the Murrumburrah Public School PSSA Open Rugby League Classic Shield Team. The seventeen players, who were the 2009 State Primary PSSA Open Rugby League Classic Shield runners-up after a successful year defeating schools from across NSW, were awarded a special Harden Murrumburrah Australia Day Sports Achievement Award. Throughout 2009 the boys were winners of the Riverina Region of the statewide knockout and were undefeated going into the grand final at Shark Park, Sydney, they were also exceptional ambassadors for Harden Murrumburrah showing diligence and maturity wherever they travelled. Coach Peter Dinnerville said the team not only put in a magnificent effort during all their games but reflected the strong community spirit Harden is renowned for. “Their enthusiasm, team work and passion was evident at all times,” he said. “This is the furthest any team from MPS has made it in this competition and this Australia Day award is recognition for their hard work, dedication and skills.” |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday 7 th Feb 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 MEET the man who has Queensland and Melbourne Storm hooker Cameron Smith looking nervously over his shoulder - his younger brother Matthew. Dubbed "Mini Me" by Storm colleagues, the 17-year-old hooker has been on scholarship since he was 15 and last month made a permanent move to Melbourne to chase his dream of a career in the NRL. A Logan Brothers junior, Matt Smith attended Marsden State High, the school that has a string of notable alumni including Maroons sensation Israel Folau and NRL players Chris Sandow, Joe Tomane and Antonio Winterstein. Smith senior is entrenched as the NRL's pre-eminent hooker but hopes his younger sibling, who is in Melbourne's under-18s squad, can one day succeed him in the Storm No. 9 jumper. "I'm getting on a bit so he might eventually take my spot," quipped Smith, who turns 27 in June. He's been hanging around the Storm since he was nine or 10 so I'm really pleased he's getting his own opportunities. "He's a mini me. All the boys say he's a twin of me in looks but just a bit younger. Matt has to make his own path towards first grade and he's certainly up for the challenge." Standing 180cm and weighing 77kg, the younger Smith may have a famous sibling but Cameron says it will garner him few favours at the Storm. And Matt seems to have inherited his brother's work ethic. At a recent inter-club match, Matt made 30 tackles in 35 minutes. Yet to hold a driver's licence, the teen hops on his bike and rides 40 minutes to Storm training. Cameron himself concedes he was never the most naturally talented footballer and is confident Matt will make it to the top if he continues to work hard. "Craig Bellamy (Storm coach) has had a chat to Matt about not worrying about anything I've achieved in the game. He's not me, I want him to be Matthew Smith," Cameron said. "He's not going to be worked on harder because he's my brother but, at the same time, he won't be given any favours either."s "He doesn't look like your typical NRL athlete today but he's a smart kid and he knows his way around the footy field. He analyses defences well and he's very quick between the ears. "I was never the most talented or athletic kid but I made sure I worked hard and hopefully Matt has learned something from me in that regard. "I never put any pressure on the club to sign him because he is my brother. It would be great to play alongside him one day, I'd love to get the opportunity to play with Matty. "He's got a lot of hard work in front of him but if he keeps working hard I have no doubt he is good enough to be a first grader." |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturday 6 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Equipping young men with the skills to succeed in life, Glen Innes High School will implement a new program this year designed to make students better people through the game of rugby league. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 60 per cent of Australians lack the fundamental skills to get through everyday life. Glen Innes High School’s Gifted and Talented Rugby League program (GIHS GAT RL) is a first for the school and the region. There is no other program like it in any school in the area. The brainchild of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education teachers Richard Taylor and Ben Creighton, the program is run in partnership with National Rugby League (NRL) club the Brisbane Broncos. The program stems from current problems in the NRL where people are suddenly realising the complexity of producing well rounded and grounded young men, Mr Taylor said. Glen Innes has a rich history of rugby league spanning over a century. Many children from the district have gone on to play in the NRL competition most recently including Nathan Stapleton (Cronulla Sharks), Joel Jackson and Marcus Bower (Wests Tigers juniors) and Nick Ehsman (Sydney City Roosters juniors). While some students will make it to NRL level, most will not. The program is designed for students to reach their full potential both in life and on the rugby league field, Mr Taylor said. “The idea is to produce well rounded individuals who complete their schooling to the best of their ability and go on to be functional people in society,” he said. The specialist program selects 40 to 50 male students from years 7-10. It combines theory including conflict resolution, goal setting, understanding and improving mental health, nutrition, injury management and play position analysis with practical lessons including exposure to high level competition and facilities, and access to Broncos training. In addition local businesses would be approached to help teach students to respect their environment, respect females, how to handle job interviews, personal presentation and hygiene, nutrition and cooking, and how to be disciplined and work towards goals. The program has a very strict disciplinary code. Players who breech the code can be suspended from the program. However, just as in life students are offered a second chance to prove they are worthy of being in the program through an interview with a leadership group. Launched next week, GATRL could become a pilot program for other schools in the area. If the program were a success the high school would look at introducing a similar program for females, Mr Taylor said. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday 5 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THREE Group 4 players have been chosen to lead the Wests Greater Northern Academy’s senior team into tomorrow’s showdowns with NRL junior sides from the Bulldogs and Newcastle Knights. Farrer pair Daniel Sharman and Cameron Rodgers and West Lion Rodney Rolls form the leadership group for what will be the culmination of their time in the Academy program. The three are part of the GNA Yellow side, which includes older players who have mostly been in the program for two years. They had a win as first years last year but this weekend’s games will be a bigger test. “We only had one game last year, against the Western Academy,” Sharman said. “We were lucky to win too. “It was an intercept in the last minute.” Sharman will play five-eighth and hopes he will have enough time against the quick defence to create opportunities for his outside men. “It’s an opportunity for us to be seen,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good outside backs and second-rowers so that will make it a lot easier for me. “They’re a lot bigger down there but it’ll be a good experience for us as well.” Rodgers, from Moree, will control the ruck in the number nine jersey and will take on plenty of defensive work as well. “It’s a big workload,” he said. “But I’ve got some big forwards around me that makes it easier for me too. “When you’re in the middle you’ve got plenty of chances to tackle blokes all the time.” Rolls will help lead a big pack but is sure to come up against some monster forwards from the NRL clubs. “We’ve got a pretty good pack of forwards,” he said. “Hopefully we can get us on the front foot. “There’s a few other big blokes there and hopefully we can stick it up them for a while. “It’s a good opportunity as well as experience.” All players will be out to impress with club scouts watching on. The academy’s younger Maroon side will also play against the NRL teams, with short round robin games scheduled at Cessnock to give all players a run, but to also limit the effects of the summer heat. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 SAM Burgess is the prized English import valued at $400,000 per season and about to play his first match for South Sydney - and his first on Australian soil. Junior Palau is the Sea Eagles' rookie on the NRL minimum wage hoping to put him in his place. It's one of the intriguing battles of the Rabbitohs' "Return to Redfern" to play Manly on Sunday evening. Much has been made of Burgess, who was wooed from England by Souths owner and Hollywood actor Russell Crowe and is now living large in Potts Point. Consequently, he's sure to receive plenty of heat from rival forward packs - just as he did while playing for England in the Four Nations tournament in Europe last year. "I've thought about that a little bit," a tanned Burgess admitted yesterday. "But it's a contact sport and part of the game. "They've got a young squad coming out of Manly." Asked if he had any idea who in particular, Burgess laughed: "I haven't really seen their side. I'm sure over the next two or three days we will. I'm looking forward to seeing what I'm up against." One of them is Palau, who is a giant at 190cm and 105kg and looking to force his way into Manly coach Des Hasler's side after winning the Queensland Cup with the club's feeder team. And what does he this think of coming up against the international with the big reputation? "Burgess is an awesome player," Palau said. "But he doesn't scare me. I won't be in any fear of him." |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Budding rugby league players will get to meet their stars at the Dubbo Junior Rugby League registration day at Apex Oval on Monday. The combined meet and greet and rego day starting at 4pm will be just one of several events of the two-day 2010 Community Carnival in the city on Monday and Tuesday. Canterbury Bulldogs stars Andrew Ryan, Gary Warburton, Corey Payne and Danny Williams will attend the various events which include visits to each of Dubbo’s primary schools, a Dubbo Junior Rugby League fundraiser and dinner at the Dubbo RSL Memorial Club, shopping centre promotions and a Dubbo Base Hospital visit. For outgoing Western Region coaching and development manager Steve McLellan, it will be one of the last big projects he will be involved in before heading to his new position of general manager of Fiji Rugby League. “The Community Carnival is an annual event and last year we had players from the Titans, Bulldogs and Raiders visit schools in the towns of Nyngan, Bourke and Cobar,” McLellan said. “This year we have four Bulldogs players coming who will visit all of the primary schools in Dubbo. “As part of the Eat Well, Play Well, Stay Well program they will talk to the kids about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “Then at 4pm they will head to Apex Oval for rego day where 190 lucky kids who register will win a seat at the table with the players at the dinner that evening.” The visit from the NRL players is intended to help encourage kids to get along to the registration day as well as promote the NRL trial match between the Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders at Apex Oval on February 27. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 RUGBY league might have prevented young Albert Kelly getting into a whole load of strife. On the streets of Marrickville, anything can happen. Just ask Jeff Fenech. Another Kelly gang might not have gone down too well, especially in NRL circles. Instead, the kid from Macksville a Bowraville Tigers junior is making a name for himself off the streets and on the training paddock. Kelly is a secret the Sharks can't keep much longer. And not just because he is one of international Greg Inglis' many cousins. Still 18, the Sharks wanted to nurse him along this season as a possible long-term replacement for captain and former Test star, Trent Barrett. Instead, Kelly's astonishing improvement and sleet of foot on the football field is forcing their hands, and the coaching and training staff under head Ricky Stuart have really been ``held up'' by ``kid'' Kelly. Despite not having played in the NRL, this Kelly has staked his own claim: for a starting spot, possibly at fullback, . Publicly the Sharks won't say too much about him. But when pressed this week captain Barrett put it simply: "You see some blokes who are good athletes and you have to turn them into footballers. Well Albert is just one of those rare, natural footballers.. "I think he could be something special. He can play halves or fullback where he has been training and I'm excited about playing with him. He has never played out of his age group before, so we do have bring him along without too much pressure. "You'd like to bring him into the team on a winning streak, but yeah, the way he's going he could start the season.'' After joining Parramatta two years ago and representing the Australian Schoolboys, injuries prevented Kelly advancing with the Eels. Kelly admitted living in Marrickville was not the ideal situation, even though another exciting aboriginal footballer in Blake Ferguson was one of his mates. "I'm much more settled now in Sutherland and training on the coast, a lifestyle like the beach town where I grew up,'' he said. Kelly admitted he ``struggled'' early with the intensity of the off season training. "But Ricky has really helped me adapt and had me work hard on my weaknesses and build up (86 kilograms),'' he said. Kelly grew up with Mal Meninga as his idol, then later, Trent Barrett. "Just training with Trent has been a real eye-opener,'' he said. ``He's been great with the tips on footy in general.'' Of all the accolades, the best came from Stuart himself, when asked how he thought Kelly was going. Stuart told him he was "overwhelmed'' by his improvement in training. Barrett said if Kelly could play anything like Inglis, the Sharks were on a winner. The youngster doesn't want to be known as Greg Inglis' cousin. "We've got lots of cousins,'' he said. You get the feeling he can make the Kelly name famous again. For all the right reasons. Sharks fans will see a close to full-strength side play their first trial match at Toyota Stadium next Friday night, February 12, with up to eight of the new buys expected to be chosen. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday 4 th February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NEW Dragons under-20s coach Adrian Lam is easing into the head coaching position minus a stack of last year's National Youth Cup (NYC) stars. Impressive forwards Trent Merrin and Jake Marketo have been promoted to the NRL squad and outside backs Joe Vickery (NRL), Dean Whare (Manly) and Kane Linnett (Roosters) have moved on. Lam could also lose NYC player of the year Beau Henry who may be pushed to the Dragons feeder club Shellharbour in preparation for first grade. "It is something Wayne Bennett will have to make a decision on,'' Lam said. Lam, the former Queensland Origin half, takes over from the Dragons inaugural NYC coach Steve Price, who is now a full-time assistant to NRL head coach Bennett. He will rely on Hurstville United five-eighth Kyle Stanley to guide the team around. tanley is joined by fellow St George juniors Kyle Mallyon (Kingsgrove Colts), Ernie Ciaschetti (Penshurst RSL) and Kane Gillies (Hurstville United). "The thing that I've picked up is the amount of respect they have for the place,'' Lam said. After the side finished one game short of the grand final in successive years, Lam has spent some time with the first grade side, including work with half Jamie Soward. "Soward had a great year last year but this year is probably the most important for him. "I've done a bit of vision work with him,'' he said. A household name in his native Papua New Guinea, Lam hopes to form a relationship between the Pacific island nation and the Dragons, after coaching PNG to win the Pacific Nations Cup, and securing a spot in the Four-Nations tournament at the end of this year against Australia, New Zealand and England. Dragons Under 20's: Chris Astill, Jared Brodrick, Sam Campbell, David Caterall, Ernie Ciaschetti , Jayden Dallalana, Jack De Belin, Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa, Kane Gillies, Tom Hancock, Josh Heggie, Beau Henry, Nathan Jones, Cameron King, Justin King, Kyle Mallyon, Simon Maslanka, Alex McKinnon, Mitchell Nielsen, Blake Phillips, Luke Pickerd, Max Ray, Mitch Rein, Travis Roche, Scott Rosser, Jackson Russell, Trent Ryan, Kyle Stanley, Jack Stockwell, Wes Suckley, Jarrod Thompson, Shannon Wakeman. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GROUP 21 REFEREE COURSE Group 21 Referees' Association will holding a Level 1 referee course on the following dates at Muswellbrook RSL; Sunday February 21 – 9am to 5pm course commences Wednesday March 3 – 6pm to 8:30pm course continues Wednesday March 10 – 6pm to 8:30pm finalisation of course Names must be supplied by February 15 so course material can be ordered. There is a restaurant at the RSL for lunch if desired. The cost for this course is $25.00 per person Applications for this Level 1 course are on the following website http://www.group21refs.leaguenet.com.au under “forms” |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| REDCLIFFE JUNIOR SIGN ON THIS WEEKEND 2010 Sign On for all new and existing players is this coming Sunday - 7th February, 2010 at the Dolphin Oval Canteen from 9.30am-11.00am. Sign On is $70/player or $180 for 3 or more immediate family members. Each player will receive their dress polo and water bottle when registration is complete. Team photos will also be received with their year book at season presentation in October. The new inclusion of a bag of other goodies will be given out to players after games have started; in the bag players will find a bucket hat, QRL magazine, stickers, posters and more. New families are reminded that an original birth certificate or passport AND three (3) passport-sized photos need to be brought to Sign On Day. Players born in the year 2000 or earlier must also be present with their parent/guardian to sign their own section of forms. For further information regarding joining the Dolphins to play rugby league (under 6-under 18 years old) please contact Juniors administrator Kirsty Fields on 3203-7333 or email enquiries to: kirsty @ redcliffeleagues.com.au Apologies to parents, but EFT-POS will not be offered for use at Sign On Day due to networking issues outside the main club building. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday 3 rd February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The WA Reds have defeated the Central Bulldogs 38 to 20 in front of around 200 spectators at a windy Ken Allen Field on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs, who fielded a handful of WA Reds Squad members in their line up started strong using their size advantage to punch holes in the young Reds defence. The Reds however showed plenty of courage and were rewarded by being first to score at the 11 minute mark, through a nicely waited Adam Quinlen kick that sat up in the strong breeze for Nick Laurie to dive on and score for the first points of the day. From that point on the Bulldogs had the majority of possession and were testing the Reds goal line defence. Two opportunities were wasted by the Bulldogs with poor final passes being called forward by referee Brad Barbuto. The Reds could not hold on forever as big Adam Shipway barged over at the 30 minute mark to score the Bulldogs first try which was converted. With the strong breeze at their back the Bulldogs continued to have the weight of possession testing the Reds once again. Strong defence from Reds front rowers Tom Fry and Aarona “G” Nicholls rallied the Reds and they look set to go to the half time break only trailing by two points. This was not going to be the case as Reds squad member Jessie Prassard showed good footwork to step though the Reds defence and score for the Bulldogs. Halftime score saw the Bulldogs leading the Reds 10 – 4. Plenty of changes were made to the Reds side at the half time break to give each player every opportunity to impress the Reds coaching staff. First points were scored in the second half by the Bulldogs, Arlin Paki was able to get a hand free in a tackle to offload to the flying Bulldogs hooker who showed good evasion to elude Reds fullback Sunny Lal scoring under the posts. In the next set the Reds would be next to score after the Bulldogs fumbled the kick off. From the scrum the Reds put together a set move were winger Jarrod Young found himself in space and stepped inside the opposition fullback to score out wide. The Reds were then on a roll scoring the next two tries through Greg Ranga and Hemi Kani. Wiremu Paki struck back for the Bulldogs to put them back in the game, reaching out to score after a strong run in broken play to take his side within eight points in the 74th minute. The Reds through Jessie Prassard, who switched sides at half time, once again showed nice footwork to score a 20 metre try. The match was put beyond doubt with Jarrod Young racing 50 metres after standing up a tired Bulldogs forward to seal the win. Many thanks to Andrew Crellin and the Fremantle Rugby League Club for their organisation on the day and the use of Ken Allen Field. WA Reds 38 - 8 tries & 3 conversionsCentral Bulldogs 20 - 4 tries & 2 conversions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ACADEMY SQUAD FINE-TUNED FOR CLASH WITH NRL JUNIORS Story BY : WESTS Greater Northern Academy players got their last hit-out before games against NRL junior sides at Cessnock next weekend when they trained in Tamworth on Sunday. The games against the Bulldogs and Newcastle Knights will test the local players from Groups 4, 19 and 21 and put what they have learned over the summer into practice. “Today’s session is all about final preparations for our first game,” head coach Jamie McCormack said. “The Academy is not about winning or losing games. “They give us an idea as coaching staff of how much they’ve improved and shows the players what all their hard work in the heat of Tamworth over the summer is for.” McCormack will take control of the GNA Maroon squad, made up of the Academy’s younger players, while Chris Brennan will coach the older Yellow squad. Those teams trained together on Sunday with the focus very much on team work. But up against teams from the NRL system, the country kids will find the pace of the game and size of their opponents on another level. “The Knights side will have played three trial games before they play us,” McCormack said. “So they’ll have match fitness and they trained twice a week. “But I don’t expect us to be any less talented or competitive.” The teams will be named later in the week. The game was originally set down for Kurri Kurri Sportsground but problems with the playing surface there have meant a move up the road to Cessnock. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| tUESDAY 2 ND fEBRUARY 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The footy cubs keep roaring for Tigers greats. Former Balmain teammates Wayne Pearce and Garry Jack fathered league and AFL stars, now Benny Elias is the latest to pass on his footballing gifts Elias's 15-year-old nephew Mitchell Moses plays halfback for his alma mater Holy Cross Ryde and has been snapped up by Parramatta's Harold Matthews squad. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday 1 st February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Australia's newest entry into the rugby league world, the WA REDS SG BALL team continued with a good performance in this weekends trials. The WA REDS SG Ball side smashed last years first grade premiers in a tough game. The WA Reds have a nother trial against another WA 1st grade this weekend before the start of the NSWRL District Reps Competition, the SG Ball Cup kicks off on Saturday 13 th February. The WA reds first game is against the Balmain Tigers at ME BANK Stadium WA REDS 38 defeated CENTRAL BULLDOGS 20 WA Reds8 tries & 3 goals CENTRAL BULLDOGS 4 tries & 2 goals |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 ROCKHAMPTON'S junior footballers are one step closer to their NRL dream after their second training camp with North Queensland Cowboys’ Ty Williams and Scott Bolton. The 36 young recruits of the Cowboys’ Top Gun Academy were coached on the weekend by the two NRL stars and coaches Dean Payne, Matt Parish and Peter Jones. And coach Dean Payne said the young guns exceeded expectations. “We are very impressed with the boys who, over the two days, have been committed the whole time,” Payne said. The juniors, who were aged between 13 and 16, were selected for the program and participated in a similar camp in November 2009. “Last time when we were here in November I would say they set the bar very high,” Payne said. “But yesterday (Saturday) they were exceptional - we are very impressed by their skill level that they carried through from last year.” Payne said the academy was a program used to develop and potentially sign future rugby league players for the Cowboys. And local Jarred Dash will be one they will keep a close watch on. “I am very impressed with Jarred’s footwork and skill level, particularly for his size,” Payne said. Payne said the camp particularly focused on strength after their last camp that was based on flexibility. Ty Williams and Scott Bolton both assisted in the coaching, which was an experience they were familiar with after also coming through a development squad. “They (Williams and Bolton) love it, they both came through a system like this and they know how important it is and know exactly what to do,” Payne said. “The boys gave them a taste of what rugby league is like and prepared them with what is expected of them if they reach that level and all those factors and skill levels they need. “Ty is also a Queensland Origin player and it is great for the young players to interact with him and they love it.” Despite the weather conditions yesterday, Payne said it still didn’t stop the enthusiasm from the young players. Although there will not be a third camp before the NRL season kicks off, the Cowboys will continue to monitor the players through the 2010 season. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday 31 st January 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EELS v STEELERS TRIALS TRY BLITZ The Parramatta Eels have smashed the Illawarra Steelers in the junior representative trials held at Cabramatta Sports Ground today. The scores did not include kicks at goal. In Harold Matthews there were two games: Game 1: Eels 16 drew with Illawarra 16 Game 2: Eels 36 def Illawarra 4 Total: Eels 52 def Illawarra 20 In SG Ball there were two games: Game 1: Eels 34 def Illawarra 8 Game 2: Eels 40 def Illawarra 0 Total: Eels 74 def Illawarra 8 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturday 30 th January 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WA REDS TAKE ON FIRST GRADE GRAND FINALISTS warugbyleague.com.au The WA Reds SG Ball squad will play a trial this Saturday afternoon against first grade grand finalists the Central Bulldogs at Ken Allen Field, Hilton. Along with Saturdays trial against the Bulldogs the Reds will also play the Fremantle Roosters first grade side the following Saturday as the final trial before their round 1 clash with the Balmain Tigers at ME Bank Stadium. Coach Andrew Korn has deliberately matched his side against their older rivals in a bid to see how the handle it. “We need to see how our boys can stand up against bigger, stronger and faster players like we will encounter when the competition begins.” With former WA Seniors and Bundy Cup players in both first grade sides the Reds will be tested. “We have a lot to prove in the SG Ball competition with the majority of our players not having experienced this next level of football. They need to be tested against the Bulldogs and Roosters and I am confident they will pass.” Coach Korn added. One further cut to the 30 man squad will be made after Saturday’s trial to trim the squad to 25 members who will make up the inaugural WA Reds SG Ball Squad. WA Reds v Central Bulldogs Ken Allen Field, Hilton Saturday, 6th February Kick Off: 5PM |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP OF PAGE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OCTOBER 2009 NEWS ARCHIVES | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SEPTEMBER '09 NEWS ARCHIVES | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUGUST NEWS ARCHIVES HERE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JULY NEWS ARCHIVES HERE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JUNE NEWS ARCHIVES HERE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 CONTACT US |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 2009 AIS TOUR |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL NSWCCC CUP MANUAL |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 NSWRL JANUARY PLAYERS CAMP |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NSWRL SG BALL CUP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NSWRL HAROLD MATTHEW'S CUP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CYRIL CONNER CUP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MEL MENINGA CUP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 30 YEARS of NSW CCC SCHOOLBOYS RUGBY LEAGUE BOOK LAUNCH The NSW CCC have launched a brand new book. 30 years of NSW CCC Rugby League. Its a fantastic book filled with great stories & photos of the history of the NSW CCC rugby league system. This book is available for sale at the bargain price of only $20.00, if you would like a copy, contact us and we can point you in the right direction. | LeaRN MoRe | ORDER NOW |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 2010 STRUDDY'S CHALLENGE DRAW & TEAM LISTS |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ATTENTION
Download the .pdf (1.22 mg) RUGBY LEAGUE FANS! The first ever fiction rugby league books just for young kids, are NOW available....  Switch young kids into reading and order these action packed, high interest reading books |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WANT TO GET OURFOOTY NEWS Well then JOIN HERE |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NATIONAL SCOREBOARD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QUEENSLAND SCOREBOARD |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NSW SCOREBOARD |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 CHEERLEADER of the WEEK |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009 
2009 ARRIVE aLIVE CUP
2009 
PATRICK O'HANLON 
OBE GEIA 
Jeff HARDY
Bulldogs win Harold 2007 Matthews Cup Grand Final | NATIONAL SCOREBOARD |
| CHS VS FRENCH JUNIORS NSW CHS 12 - 24 FRANCE |
| CONTACT US |
SPORT IS ABOUT THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE, NOT THOSE WHO WISH TO ORGANISE GAMES |
NSWRL DISTRICT REP'S |
NSW JUNIOR LEAGUES |
 CRONULLA JUNIORS |
COMMUNITY SCOREBOARD |
| G8 GIFT IDEA'S |
| NATIONAL SCOREBOARD |
 ARRIVE aLIVE CUP |
COMMUNITY SCOREBOARD |
| CHEERLEADER OF THE WEEK |
ASSRL | PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE HOSTING & EMAIL SYSTEMS BY : |
|