Tallon Smith
A pair of Anzac Day games will kick off the new Group 16 rugby league season this weekend after the competition’s draw was confirmed late last month.
Defending premiers Tathra will travel to Cooma to face Jason Kelly’s Stallions, while Bega will begin life under coach Zac Saddler at home against the Eden Tigers in the two Saturday games in round one.
The opening round action will roll into Narooma the next day when the Devils host local rivals Moruya Sharks, while Jeff Cox’s new-look Batemans Bay side will travel to Pambula to face the Bulldogs.
Looking ahead to other draw highlights, the local derby between Batemans Bay and Moruya will take place in round three on May 9 at Mackay Park, in the sides’ only meeting this year.
A special occasion looms in round six when the Tathra Sea Eagles host the Bega Roosters as part of their centenary celebrations at the Tathra Country Club Oval.
The event is the centrepiece of the club’s 100th year, with a number of other events including a Mental Health round against Batemans Bay in round two.
Fans will have to wait for the grand final rematch however, with the Sea Eagles set to host Merimbula-Pambula in round eight on June 21 in what will be another highly anticipated chapter in the two clubs’ rivalry.
Another event game will take place in round 10, when the Batemans Bay Tigers host the Sea Eagles in a Saturday NAIDOC round fixture at Mackay Park.
The final competition round will take place on the weekend of August 8-9, with a four week, five-team finals series set to follow, concluding with the Grand Final on September 6.
The full competition draw is listed below.
2026 Group 16 Rugby League Draw
- Home team listed first
- All games Saturday unless noted
Round 1 (April 25-26)
Bega v Eden (Sat)
Cooma v Tathra (Sat)
Narooma v Moruya
Merimbula-Pambula v Batemans Bay
Bombala bye
Round 2 (May 2-3)
Bombala v Cooma (Sat)
Moruya v Merimbula-Pambula (Sat)
Narooma v Bega
Tathra v Batemans Bay
Eden bye
Round 3 (May 9-10)
Batemans Bay v Moruya (Sat)
Tathra v Narooma (Sat)
Eden v Bombala
Bega v Merimbula-Pambula
Cooma bye
Round 4 (May 16-17)
Cooma v Batemans Bay (Sat)
Moruya v Bega (Sat)
Merimbula-Pambula v Bombala
Eden v Narooma
Tathra bye
Round 5 (May 23-24)
Batemans Bay v Narooma (Sat)
Bombala v Tathra (Sat)
Merimbula-Pambula v Cooma
Moruya v Eden
Bega bye
Round 6 (May 30-31)
Tathra v Bega (Sat)
Bombala v Moruya (Sat)
Narooma v Merimbula-Pambula
Eden v Cooma
Batemans Bay bye
Round 7 (June 13-14)
Bombala v Narooma (Sat)
Cooma v Moruya (Sat)
Eden v Tathra
Bega v Batemans Bay
Merimbula-Pambula bye
Round 8 (June 20-21)
Narooma v Cooma (Sat)
Batemans Bay v Eden
Tathra v Merimbula-Pambula
Bega, Bombala, Moruya byes
Round 9 (June 27-28)
Batemans Bay v Bombala (Sat)
Merimbula-Pambula v Eden (Sat)
Moruya v Tathra
Cooma v Bega
Narooma bye
Round 10 (July 4-5)
Batemans Bay v Tathra (Sat)
Bega v Bombala
Moruya v Narooma
Merimbula-Pambula, Eden, Cooma byes
Round 11 (July 11-12)
Narooma v Bombala (Sat)
Tathra v Eden (Sat)
Moruya v Cooma
Merimbula-Pambula v Bega
Batemans Bay bye
Round 12 (July 25-26)
Bombala v Batemans Bay (Sat)
Bega v Cooma (Sat)
Eden v Moruya
Merimbula-Pambula v Narooma
Tathra bye
Round 13 (August 1-2)
Batemans Bay v Bega (Sat)
Bombala v Eden (Sat)
Cooma v Merimbula-Pambula
Tathra v Moruya
Narooma bye
Round 14 (Aug 8-9)
Cooma v Bombala (Sat)
Bega v Tathra (Sat)
Narooma v Batemans Bay
Eden v Merimbula-Pambula
Moruya bye
Finals
Qualifying & Elimination Finals – 15/16 August
Semi Finals – 22/23 August
Preliminary Final – 30 August
Grand Final – 6 September
