By Jamie Parsons

The sixth Proten Cup season is fast approaching with the knockout at Rankins Springs less than two weeks away with the carnival set for this Saturday May 4, followed by the season proper on May 18.

Narrandera will look to defend their back-to-back Men’s titles, will Barellan’s Women’s side will look to emulate their feats last year in going undefeated.

With kickoff rapidly approaching, here is a preview all of the clubs’ prospects for the upcoming season.

NARRANDERA

Men’s Coaches – Kye Longford & Gary Ingram

Women’s Coach – Callum Prior

The Lizards will look for the first ever Proten Cup threepeat in 2024 and have started on the best foot possible retaining two-time premiership coach Kye Longford. Joining him as co-coach this year is veteran Gary Ingram, who has plenty of coaching experience with Yanco-Wamoon as well as leading the Lizards to the Grand Final in 2019. Narrandera as the biggest club in the competition will be strong as always but with several of last year’s premiership winners seen lining up for Leeton and Waratahs first grade sides in the first Group 20 rounds its unknown if those stars will line up for Narrandera come the knockout. With Kye Longford steering the side and their host of young, quick backs, the Lizards will have every chance to take out the knockout and push on for another successful season.

Callum Prior returns to coach the womens team which made the preliminary final last year. Despite falling down a peg from the premiership winning 2022 season, the Lizards girls will no doubt be solid again with some very committed players that turn up each and every week.

Narrandera this season are also fielding an U16s side, returning to Group 20 for the first time in over 20 years. They play before every Yanco game with their next game at the Yanco Sportsground against Yenda on the 28^th April.

IVANHOE

Men’s Coaches – Shaun Aylett & Conrad McGinty

Women’s Coaches – Dwayne Evans & Jonno Hart

Three Grand Final losses haven’t got the Roosters down as they returned to pre-season training in mid-January before any other side. Conrad McGinty returns to coach the side after leading the 2018 & 2019 seasons along with Shaun Aylett, returning 2023 player with a history at the Hay Magpies. Despite Kodie Charles returning to coach the Griffith Black & Whites for 2024, along with son and 2023 Player of the Year William Charles playing for Cronulla, Ivanhoe have a strong committed pack of locals and supporters and have run their club outstandingly well for the past few seasons. Volunteers Heather McGinty and Brad Lawrence have joined the Proten Cup committee as treasurer and secretary so with volunteers like them who are willing to put in the work that Geoff Hale and Jamie Parsons have done for the comp for the last six years the Ivanhoe club is undoubtedly in a good position.

For the women’s side Jonno Hart and Dwayne Evans will lead a very talented group of girls to try and go one better than 2023 and if they all come back they are in with a good shot of doing just that. Several of their players will gain more tackle experience in the Group 20 womens comp and will be eyeing off their first game with Barellan in Round 3.

HILLSTON

Men’s Coach – Luke Farmer

Women’s Coach – Ben Pittman

Little has been said about Hillston in the off-season, with halfback Luke Farmer taking up the coaching job after the retirement of Jock Potter. Luke has played the last two seasons for Hillston and is a major reason they have gone to back-to-back preliminary finals. He takes on the job alongside coaching the Griffith Waratahs reserve grade side so his season is set to be a full one. It is yet to be seen if he brings any players from Griffith to the club. If he can get the team firing and players in the right positions, no reason Hillston can’t go one better and make that elusive Grand Final in 2024.

Club president Ben Pittman returns to coach the women’s team again after just missing out on the finals last year. Ben is a popular coach and has a great group of girls who back up for other clubs every week. Just on Ben as well, he’s an outstanding clubman that along with being president and women’s coach, represents Hillston on the Proten board and is now a qualified Level 1 trainer for the club after attending the course last month. He exemplifies the Proten Cup spirit and Hillston are lucky to have one of the hardest workers in the game at their helm.

GOOLGOWI

Men’s Coach – Ben Marks

Women’s Coaches – Jessie Burns & Lexi Lightfoot

Coming off a disappointing early exit in their home grand final year, Goolgowi have appointed Ben Marks as 2024 coach after he moved to the area from Dubbo with fiancé, Goolgowi local Chloe. He last played in Group 9 where he sustained a serious neck injury and so is likely to be a non-playing coach, supported by Alex Brown and Danny Graham. The Rabbitohs began training at the beginning of March and have been building steadily to the knockout. Although always strong, it is unknown if Goolgowi will have the same strength as they did last year with several players seen running around in first grade Group 20, with Henry & Ollie Taylor both in starting roles at Yenda and Linsay Maiava at Waratahs.

Jessie Burns & Lexi Lightfoot return as womens coaches for 2024, marking their third year in charge. They have both been there since the start in 2021 and know what it takes to win premierships. The girls have had good numbers at training and are sure to be in with a shot again this year.

RANKINS SPRINGS

Mens Coaches – Damian Walker & Joshua Johnston

Womens Coach – Joel McIntyre

The Dragons are the only team to have played a game so far, going down in a close one to West Wyalong 26-20 which featured 7 or 8 of the Mallee Men’s first grade side. With the knockout at home this year, the Dragons will be looking to make the final for the first time, with their squad usually decimated by sowing this time of year. New coaches Damian Walker and Josh Johnston have been with the Dragons since 2018 and know what works for them and what doesn’t. and with the return of Josh Curphey as well as his brothers Ben and Jake, along with 2021 winners Todd McCarten and Ben Maslin, there is every potential there to improve on last year’s disappointing finish.

The Dragonettes have retained most of their 2023 squad, with coach Joel McIntyre returning for his second year in charge. Despite a last-placed finish the Dragons girls built into the season and got their first win in the final round. With the return of 2022 Player of the Year Georgia West they’ll look to get back to the finals this year.

BARELLAN

Mens Coaches – Adam Thomas & Noah Forbutt

Womens Coach – Brittany Everett

Barellan have an exciting young squad that didn’t deserve to go winless last season. If they all come back that certainly won’t happen again and with Noah Forbutt taking on more of a leadership role, the Rams will be aiming to return to finals football for the first time since 2021. After their season launch last Friday, Barellan will spend the next three weeks training to take on very winnable matches at the knockout against Rankins Springs and Ivanhoe. Aside from training at the knockout the Rams also held a charity golf day for a seriously injured player.

The Rams women will go into 2024 without a loss and with match fitness on their side, as 6 of their players are lining up for TLU during the Group 20 womens tackle season. With plenty of experience including Brittany Everett and Monique Higgins in maroon and white again, Barellan will start favourites to take out the womens competition again.

Aside from the clubs, the womens’ competition is going from strength to strength with a comp-wide training day held at Yenda a couple of weeks ago. Organised by Brad Lawrence and Brittany Everett with Brittany and Monique Higgins running the girls around, good numbers turned up and learned essential rugby league skills such as tackling safety. Thank you to Brad, Brittany and Monique for their hard work putting this on for our girls and good luck to all our girls in their rugby league journey! Many of our girls had never played contact sport before turning out for their local sides and it is fantastic to see the spirit and camaraderie in our women’s competition and we hope to see more and more girls join in and have a good time!