Cover Photo: Tahlia Crane Photography
Tallon Smith
The search for a replacement for Aaron Gorrell as Group 9 coach is over, with experienced Brothers mentor Blake Dunn to take charge of the Gladiators team ahead of their showdown with Group 20 in February.
A four-time Group 9 premiership player across a decorated stint at Gundagai, Dunn returned to Brothers last season to lead the club’s first grade team through its rebuild, a role he will continue in alongside the pre-season representative portfolio.
Having coached the Group 9 side previously on a couple of occasions, Dunn said it was an honour to be again offered the task of leading the competition’s best players into battle against its main rival.
“I was asked if I would like to do it, and obviously needed to weigh up family commitments and stuff around that time, but once that was sort of clear, it was something that really excited me,” he said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to coach Group 9 on a couple of occasions and really enjoyed it and developed some good friendships with blokes from other clubs that I may not have had otherwise, and enjoyed my time doing it.
“It’s a different challenge than coaching week to week, so I was obviously very honoured to be asked and feel like it’s a privileged position to get.”
A representative star himself in his prime with both Riverina and Illawarra, Dunn is a firm believer in the power of representative football as a springboard for players to achieve higher honours in the game.
“I think we’ve got players across the group that have achieved or will go on to achieve different levels of representation or success,” he said.
“We might have some players playing at the moment within our lower grades that could go and play NRL, we’ve got blokes who have NRL in our competition, some may go on or have went on to play country, [for] some their level is to play for Riverina, [and] some at Group.
“I think it’s always a good opportunity with rep footy to develop as a footballer, as a player around other good players, learning particularly off the experienced blokes who have been at a higher level, learning about your own game.
“I know for me early days representing Illawarra, I really found that around some of those blokes I took a lot out of it, a lot of confidence, but also a lot of lessons around how to prepare and what it takes to be that level of footballer, so I feel like it’s a good opportunity in a development sense.
Dunn also said representative matches are a good way to test the health and standard of the competition against its rivals.
“[It] gives us a bit of a measuring stick to compare our group and our region to other areas around the state,” he said.
“I think if you do well it’s a reflects well on future recruitment.
“Players from outside the group may look at our group or region as a good opportunity for them to springboard into higher representation, whether it’s NRL pathways or whatnot, so I think there should always be a place for representative footy.”
As for the Kelly Cup rivalry itself, Dunn said he is excited about the return of the fixture and the opportunity it presents not only for players to show pride in their group but also push for a spot in the Riverina side for the Country Championships.
“Obviously the Kelly Cup goes back a long way, and the competition between the two groups is well established and has been for a long time,” he said.
“I think tradition and things that have a lot of history are important to try and maintain where possible, obviously times change and things move, but I think it’s a good opportunity for us as a group to have a challenge against the group that neighbours us.
“We’re quite closely linked within the region, and ultimately it’s a good opportunity for players to put their foot forward for selection in the Riverina Division.
“There’s a lot of history with the Riverina Division representative side, blokes going on to play for Australia back in the day, [so] there’s a lot there to get excited about.”
Dunn also revealed the venue for the Kelly Cup will be Griffith, with the match set down for the 14th of February.
Both he and Group 20 mentor Ben Jeffery are expected to announce their teams early next year, with the pair to then select and co-coach the Riverina side following the match.
