Tallon Smith
After a four-year hiatus, the prestigious Kelly Cup between rival Riverina competitions Group 9 and Group 20 will return in February as a selection trial for the region’s country championships team.
The announcement of the fixture’s return comes after a two-year campaign led by Battlers For Bush Footy to revive the historic representative match, which began with a piece that ran last summer in multiple newspapers around the region including The Area News.
Group 20 coach Ben Jeffery celebrated the return of the fixture, which will increase the chances for players from the competition to press their claims for Riverina selection, after just three Razorbacks were selected in the Bulls team this year.
“Obviously, Group 9 have been a better competition and a stronger competition than we have been for a lot of years, but don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good players out here,” he said.
“I think if I can get 17 of the best in Group 20 that actually make themselves available [we can win it].
“I’ve played out here for the last seven or eight years, and there’s some good footballers out here.”
In terms of success, Group 20 has been starved in recent years, with the Razorbacks last winning the cup in 2012, one of the reasons as to why the fixture was cancelled in the first place.
However, at full strength, Group 20 boasts players such as the evergreen Jaden Kelly, the game-breaking Brad Pocock, and the unstoppable Guy Thompson.
Still, with their best available team, Group 9 will go in heavy favourites, with stars such as Nathan Rose, James Morgan, Hayden Philp and Zac Masters at its disposal.
Many Group 20 stars have been itching to test themselves against ‘Big Brother’ for the past three years, with veteran Yenda prop Chris Latu declaring that the competition’s best players both young and old are ready for the challenge.
“I reckon a quick pep talk to round up players from myself and other old heads around the comp would definitely excite players to play,” he said.
“We’ve got young players out here making a statement that would be keen to go up against quality players from Group 9.”
Meanwhile, the venue for the match has not yet been officially decided, though some sources have reported that it will be at a Group 9 venue, as Group 20 hosted the previous clash at the end of 2022.
As part of its campaign, Battlers For Bush Footy has backed Narrandera to host the clash, as the halfway point between Griffith and Wagga Wagga.
A formal announcement is expected over the coming weeks.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks go to Aaron Gorrell, Chris Latu, Jon Huggett, Shan Bradbrook and Roy Jewitt, who lended their voices in support and were a key part of the campaign over the journey.
Battlers For Bush Footy 