Tallon Smith

Coolamon is one step closer to having its own rugby league team once again after a successful initial meeting was held at the Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club on Saturday afternoon.

Organised by Battlers For Bush Footy and the Coolamon Raiders JRLFC President Tom Besgrove, the meeting was designed to give locals an opportunity to explore, discuss and shape the direction of the latest push to bring senior rugby league back to the Canola Way.

Around a dozen interested locals attended, with another handful listed as apologies, demonstrating the growing appetite for a senior club.

Among the topics discussed was a potential competition to play in, with Group 9 ruled out due to its strict requirements and high standard despite the proximity to prominent towns and cities in that competition such as Junee, Temora and Wagga.

Leagues specifically mentioned included the Tumut Pub 9s and the Proten Community Cup.

Also on the agenda were the immediate plans for next season, with those present agreeing that trial matches against established clubs would be the most appropriate starting point.

The next milestone for the game in its gradual return to Coolamon will be the installation of senior posts at the Jim Thompson Fields next week.

This coincides with the Coolamon Junior Raiders’ first cohort graduating to under 10s next season, requiring a larger field to facilitate mod league games.

In an effort to assist with this, Battlers For Bush Footy also donated three new mod footballs to the junior club as part of their visit to the town on Saturday.

The growth of the junior club, founded by South City premiership winner and local school teacher Besgrove in 2023, will see them field five teams from under 6s to the aforementioned under 10s next year.

Although traditionally regarded as an Australian rules stronghold home to the highly successful Coolamon Rovers, the town has a rich rugby league history, with the first club founded in 1924, playing against Narrandera that year.

After that first club folded, the game was revived in the 1980s and 1990s under the Coolamon Raiders banner, with the club going on to play in five Grand Finals and win two Kennedy Shield premierships before again disbanding in the 1990s.

The new club will be known as the Raiders to honour these sides and align with the branding of the junior club.