Rugby league teens descend at Kitchener Park for gala day

A premiership winner from the National Rugby League (NRL) and a premiership winner from the NRLW were guests at Kitchener Park last Saturday, as seven rugby league teams in the 15-16 age group took part in a gala day.

One of the guests was Shaun Kenny-Dowall from the Sydney Roosters’ 2013 NRL grand final win against Manly, while another guest was Georgia Roche from Newcastle’s 2023 NRLW grand final triumph against Gold Coast.

Kenny-Dowall and Roche attended as part of their connection with the Newcastle Knights, with Kenny-Dowall a pathways development coach while Roche continues her NRLW career.

Last Saturday’s Group 4 rugby league event was in its second year, enabling the teams in the 15-16 age group to have a few hit-outs five weeks before the start of the competitive season.

As was the case last year, scores weren’t recorded in the 20-minute fixtures while again there were no goal-kicks or half-time breaks or changes of ends.

Collegians, Dungowan, Farrer Gold, Farrer Green, Kootingal-Moonbi, Moree and North Tamworth were the teams involved this year after last year had two Dungowan teams as well as the two Farrer teams along with Collegians, North Tamworth, Gunnedah and Boggabri.

A lack of player numbers resulted in the absence of Gunnedah and Boggabri from this year’s gala day, which featured 10 matches.

There was plenty of attacking and enterprising football along with some skillful, spectacular and well-worked tries, while there was also some punishing defence.

Group 4 Junior Rugby League president Dean Bliss said last year “was the first year where we actually combined the under 15s and under 16s age group… so the gala day was brought about to try and generate interest and for those people that were I guess a little bit tentative about their 15-year-olds playing in a 16-year-old comp”.

“It was a good opportunity for them to be able to come and try,” he said.

Bliss said he thought it was a great show of football last Saturday and that the players played really well, considering it was their first hit-out of the year.

Bliss also said the matches were played in good spirits, and that the occasion generated interest in the game.

“I think it was just a really good breed of football,” he said.

“You’ve got some really talented guys out there playing footy, and it’s great to actually just come and see, sit down and be able to watch all those kids that are coming through, and it was great with the Knights.

“They’ve been really committed to our region, and the Greater Northern region in general.”

Bliss said it was great to have Kenny-Dowall and Roche there, as there were “visible to the people” and “more than happy to talk to the kids, and have a photo”.

“It was great. It was really good to see,” Bliss said.