Tallon Smith

The Tullibigeal-Lakes United Sharks stand alone as the only team to hold a 3-0 record through the opening three weeks of the Group 20 season after emerging from Wade Park with a 28-18 win over the Yenda Blueheelers on Sunday afternoon.

Although the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks and Griffith Waratah Tigers also remain undefeated so far in 2026, byes for both teams over the past two weeks mean that the Sharks remain the only team to secure a hat-trick of wins in the opening three rounds of the competition.

After taking a 10-6 lead into the break, a strong second half saw the Sharks secure the 10-point victory, with TLU co-coach Craig Morriss saying his side’s success simply came down to will and determination.

“I think today’s game was pretty stop-start, a lot of penalties, a lot of dropped balls from both teams, and it just came down to who wanted the game the most, who wanted to fight the hardest for it at the half time mark,” he said. 

“We spoke about, at half time, fighting for our town and our community, and the boys came out and we were lucky enough to get away with the win off the back of a pretty sustained effort. 

“They picked their defence speed up a little bit and just worked harder for each other, and it really stood out and they got the win so that was good.”

Amongst a well-performed team, one player who stood out was new recruit Bobby Jones, who scored a crucial try-double at hooker to secure the win for the Sharks.

Morriss said that the former West Wyalong star’s leadership qualities have crossed codes with him from the Northern Riverina Football League, where he coaches senior Australian rules on Saturdays in addition to playing rugby league on Sundays.

“Bobby’s been good, he’s a coach in his own right, he coaches Tullibigeal in the Aussie rules,” he said.

“He’s a leader and he just [did] what needed to be done there today, which was pretty good.

“[He’s] a good person to have around your club, he’s just one of those people that make your club so much stronger for having them there.”

Aside from those on the scoresheet, Morriss said there are also a number of unsung heroes in the TLU side that have contributed to its success so far this season.

One of those players is versatile forward Zac Brown, who has featured in a number of positions so far in 2026, performing strongly in all of them according to his coach. 

“He’s just come into his own this year, he’s been playing the house down for us,” Morriss said.

“He’s played centre, he’s played second row, he’s played front row, but whatever position he’s played he’s been strong and he’s been someone we can work off the back of.”

In addition to Jones and Brown, Morriss also said a number of the club’s veterans were deserving of praise for their efforts to begin the new campaign, along with an emerging future star.

“Cody [Collins] always puts a solid effort in, Nathan Morris, Jado [Jaden Kelly], you always get 100 percent from those guys,” he said.

“People like Fergo [William Ferguson] and the young fella there Aden Beetson, who’s only just not 18 yet [have also been good].

“He’s [Beetson] a footy player for the future of the club and he’s going pretty well at the moment too.

“It’s pretty exciting times.”

With a finals drought stretching back to 2019, the Sharks have been among the perennial battlers in Group 20 over the last five years, collecting a hat-trick of wooden spoons in the cancelled 2021 season, 2022, and 2023.

However, with the club sitting pretty atop the ladder for the first time in recent memory, belief is beginning to grow that this could be the year TLU makes a long-awaited return to postseason football.

When asked about what the secret to success has been under he and co-coach Collins this season, Morriss said there is none other than hard work and support from the cluster of tight-knit communities that the club represents.

“There’s been nothing out of the ordinary really at training, we’ve just been working really hard and just trying to upskill where we can,” he said.

“[We] just try and enjoy each other’s company as we go along, I think that’s the thing that makes footy special at the moment.

“The community are behind us and the town are behind us, and the players are responding to that I think, knowing that they’ve got a pretty good following.”

Next up for the Sharks is a home date with Leeton, who opened their account with a win over DPC at home following a first-up loss against Waratahs last weekend.

Heading into the clash, Morriss said that while he wants to see “more of the same” from his side, he is wary of the power the Greenies possess across the paddock.

“Leeton are a different beast, I think they’re another level [up] again, and I think our next four or five games we’re going up each week, I think the opposition is a little bit better,” he said.

“[That’s] not to say that the others aren’t as good, but to me Leeton are in the top three [along with Darlington] Point and Waratahs, and Yanco could be there as well.

“They’re the big games, and we haven’t really experienced that yet, but hopefully the players respond in kind and we can give it our best shot.

“At this stage we can control what we do ourselves and what everybody else brings, we’ll just have to work with it.”

“It should be a good game and hopefully there will be a good crowd, the support has been really tremendous from a community point of view out there, so I hope the guys can keep building on it.”

Around the Grounds

Looking at other results from around Group 20 in round three, the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks added further merit to their premiership credentials with a 42-16 win over West Wyalong at Ron Crowe Oval.

Seven different players crossed for the Hawks’ eight tries, with John Wharepapa-Rawiri completing a double in the 26-point away win.

Back rower Dylan McCartney was again amongst the standout players for the Mallee Men, scoring two of the side’s three tries, with fullback Logan Collins getting the other.

The winning continued amongst Leeton Shire teams with the Greenies opening their account for 2026 with an aforementioned 32-24 win over Darlington Point-Coleambally at Leeton No.1 Oval.

A double to winger Vula Wate accounted for two of Leeton’s six tries, with the win elevating the Greenies into the top five for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, the two-time defending premier Roosters sit at the bottom of the ladder, winless after three rounds, albeit with some key players missing games to start the year.

Also winless through three weeks are fellow grand finalists Hay, who went down to the Griffith Black and Whites 38-18 at EW Moore Oval.

The Black and Whites ran in seven tries to secure the 20-point victory, their first of the season.

A full report of the Black and Whites v Hay game will be available in Wednesday’s Riverine Grazier.