When Pat Hart was asked to be the President of the Yanco-Wamoon RLFC for season 2024, the club was gone. On the brink of folding, the club lacked numbers and had already been given its standing 8 count. 53 years of a proud small-town footballing tradition appeared to be over.

Enter Pat. At 69 years old, the now-retired humble local shire employee took on the mammoth task of running the club. With a bit help from fellow clubman Paul Purcell and a small committee, Pat effectively coordinated and ran the club along with his wife Kym, with the mammoth workload of running a club effectively translating into a full-time job.

Pat’s weekly duties included cleaning up the ground, cashing in return and earn cans for the club, coordinating training for the club’s teams, organising buses for away trips, organising club functions such as their reunion and 100 club, carrying equipment to and from games in his ute, putting up the goalpost pads and corner posts, and, when he had time, barracking for his beloved Hawks on the paddock.

On top of all these Presidential duties, Pat also coached the club’s League Tag side, and despite finishing last, the side always played in the spirit of the game.

There was no better example of Pat’s character as a leader than when Battlers For Bush Footy visited on July 2, as the Hawkettes faced the undefeated West Wyalong League Tag side.

Despite the Hawks being on the end of a 70-0 masterclass from the Wyalong juggernaut, Pat was heard to commend his side on their effort, saying “good effort girls, we’ll do better next week” as they walked off the ground.

It almost brought a tear to this author’s eye to see such a positive attitude from a coach in the modern game, which has become all about winning far too often.

Pat had a lot to juggle throughout the year, and when he couldn’t get everything done, he always had the support of his wife, Kym.

Kym was a committee member and the manager of the League Tag side, and helped Pat in coordinating events and functions for the club throughout the year. 

Her efforts were incredible and saw her awarded Life Membership of the club at its presentation night.

People like Pat and Kym are few and far between; people who are willing to put their lives on hold to save a club from extinction and create a culture of inclusivity, positivity and togetherness that will last long beyond their involvement.

So, as lovers of bush footy, we raise our glass to Pat and Kym Hart, Battlers For Bush Footy’s joint 2023 Battlers of the Year.

Hopefully the two of them can finally fulfil their retirement plans and enjoy travelling and relaxing in 2024.

Finalists

David Holt (Junee Diesels RLFC)

If you know Group 9, chances are you know David Holt. The most passionate Diesel of them all, ‘Holty’, as he is affectionately known, is the man behind the club’s return to Group 9 First Grade after two years out in 2021 and 2022. 

David has promoted local juniors to First Grade, handing debuts to multiple rising stars including Will McDermott, Blayne Linsell and Sam Sainsbury to name a few. 

His ute is unmissable, the tray always packed with footballs, tackle pads and drink bottles, as he effectively carts the club around with him.

David also lost his defining feature in 2023, his flowing locks, as he shaved his head in a fundraiser known as ‘Holty’s Chop’ to raise money for the mother of the late Junee Diesel Jordan McGregor, who faced a battle with cancer on top of losing her son.

For all of these achievements, we congratulate David Holt, a finalist for the 2023 Battler of the Year.

Shaun Lyons and Kye Longford (Narrandera RLFC)

Twenty years ago, the Narrandera Rugby League Football Club was about to collapse, beginning a 13 year wait in the wilderness, only temporarily broken as part of a merger with Yanco-Wamoon to form the Bidgee Hurricanes.

Narrandera were the bad boys of Group 20, and a growing list of incidents coupled with a decline in the club’s fortunes saw them withdraw from Group 20 in 2005.

In 2018, the club returned to the ProTen Community Cup, and began play again, however, after a Grand Final appearance in their second season, the club fell to be wooden spooners again by 2021.

Enter Shaun Lyons and Kye Longford. Although Shaun had long been involved, upon teaming up with Kye as Captain-Coach, the President and his skipper began a phase of cultural transformation for the embattled club, which culminated in back-to-back premierships in 2022 and 2023.

With the help of a passionate and engaged committee and a burgeoning junior club, the pair created a safe and welcoming environment at the club, with one highlight this year being the NAIDOC Round, where a celebration of Wiradjuri culture coincided with two brilliant games of football won by Rankins Springs 21-20 over Barellan and the hometown Lizards 24-18 over Ivanhoe.

Kye’s work within the club and community was so profound that he was named Narrungdera NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year, beating out a stacked field which included Carlton AFL star Zac Williams.

Although the club is still looking to continually improve its on-field and off-field appearance, the work Shaun and Kye have done has saved the once struggling club from a downward spiral and ensured that the ‘place where the Lizards dwell’ will remain a rugby league town well into the future.

Therefore, we congratulate both Shaun Lyons and Kye Longford on each being finalists for the 2023 Battler of the Year.