Tallon Smith
The Temora Dragons will enter a new era under incoming coach Jordon Burley with a strong roster and key additions as the club looks to end a 20-year premiership drought in 2026.
In addition to appointing the Group 20 Reserve Grade premiership winning mentor as coach, the club has also secured the signature of Shellharbour Sharks hooker Bailey Wallace and the Burley’s brother, Yenda utility Sam Burley, for the upcoming campaign.
Speaking on the change at the top, Burley said that his appointment to the First Grade role at Temora was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
“When the opportunity was presented to me it was something that I just couldn’t say no to, to go to a club with a rich history like Temora,” he said.
“I’ve also got some mates over there as well, so that made it a little more appealing.”
Part of the background to Burley’s appointment to the Dragons was the uncertainty around the playing futures of outgoing co-coaches Josh McCrone and Hayden Lomax.
While the club was already blessed with halves options in 2025 and played McCrone at lock, the void left by Lomax was appearing harder to fill, with the club moving to acquire Shellharbour Sharks hooker Bailey Wallace for the upcoming campaign.
Burley said that the signing of Wallace, as well as his own brother Sam Burley from Yenda, will complement the club’s host of re-signed players.
“It’ll only add to the roster that we’ve already got, and what they’ve had in the last few years,” he said.
“Bailey’s coming down from Shellharbour where he’s had a really good stint, I think he played 50 games or something, so he’ll definitely add a new dimension around nine.”
“Sam coming from Group 20, will have to take it up another notch with the speed a big change from the two comps, but he has played some higher level footy in junior reps, so I’m pretty sure he will adapt quickly and be thereabouts.”
A Leeton product like his brother and Dapto recruit Braxton, Wallace told Battlers For Bush Footy that he is excited to be heading back to his home region of the Riverina to join the Dragons.
“I’m pretty excited to join Temora, I’ve heard they’re a pretty big family club,” he said.
“I’ve heard they have been signing well, so I’m happy to be a part of the club and hopefully get some wins on the board early in the season.
“They’ll be a young side next year, so hopefully I can just bring that leadership and experience [from Group 7].”
Temora has been a perennial contender in recent times, qualifying for the finals in all of the past three seasons, only to fall agonisingly short of a Grand Final on each occasion.
Given this recent strong form and the fact that the majority of the squad’s key players have re-signed, Burley said it would be disappointing if the team wasn’t in the mix come September.
“Definitely, I’d be disappointed if we didn’t play well and weren’t up there at the end of the year, but obviously there’s a lot of work still to do,” he said.
“To retain the majority of the roster, that’s already had four pretty good years in terms of playing finals, I think that will hold us in good stead.
“Like I said, there’s plenty of work still to do, other sides will improve each year and we’ve got to keep improving as well.”
One of the more interesting storylines surrounding Burley’s move to the Dragons will be the coaching partnership with reigning Weissel Medallist and Assistant Coach Hayden Philp.
After spending his time helping Yenda’s First Grade coach James Dole in trying to work out how to stop the star forward during his two-premiership tenure at Leeton, Burley said he is looking forward to being able to work with and learn from Philp throughout the campaign.
“I’ll definitely be picking his brain,” he said.
“For a bloke who’s coached two premiershsips out of Group 20 and won a handful of best and fairest awards, you’d be silly not to utilise a knowledgeable guy like Hayden so that’s something I am looking forward to.”
Finally, after leaving Yenda to join the Dragons for the upcoming campaign, Burley admits there is a tinge of sadness, but his former clubmates were right behind his decision to come to Group 9.
“[Since] I came back to Yenda four years ago, it’s been a big part of my life to be honest,” he said.
“I’ve been on the committee, I’ve been Vice-President there for a couple of years, so I’ll be around to help them wherever I can obviously, but the senior guys there understand the opportunity I had in front of me and they gave me their full support to go and chase it.
“I’ll always be a Yenda man and I’m sure I’ll be back there soon.”
