Author: Tallon Smith

My name is Tallon, and I am a rugby league journalist covering country football. I have been covering rugby league since I was 14, when I launched my first publication, In Touch, covering grassroots footy in South West NSW, a project that morphed into my website Battlers For Bush Footy in 2021. My work has been published in more than a dozen mastheads including The Riverine Grazier, Back Country Bulletin, The Area News, The Irrigator, The Area News, Gundagai Times, Yass Valley Times, Cootamundra Times, Young News, Junee Independent, Deniliquin Pastoral Times and West Wyalong Advocate.
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The Bulldogs bark again: Warren looking to return after seven year absence

Cover Photo: Warren Bulldogs RLFC Facebook Group By Tallon Smith After seven years in the rugby league wilderness, the Warren Bulldogs have begun preparations for a potential return to the Castlereagh Rugby League competition in 2025. The club, which dominated the competition at the start of last decade, winning two premierships in 2010 and 2012 from three consecutive Grand Final appearances, folded after the 2018 … Continue reading The Bulldogs bark again: Warren looking to return after seven year absence

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Group 20 Wrap: Black and White delight as Panthers pip Tigers in cross-town showdown

By Tallon Smith The Griffith Black and Whites have moved back up to fourth spot on the Group 20 ladder after a heartstopping 30-28 win over the Griffith Waratah Tigers at EW Moore Oval on Sunday afternoon. It’s the match that stops Griffith’s rugby league community and for the second time this year the derby looked set to end in a draw, but a late … Continue reading Group 20 Wrap: Black and White delight as Panthers pip Tigers in cross-town showdown

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The backbone of the Blues: Three weeks on from Temora trio’s Origin triumph

Cover Photo: Zac Lomax kicks off for the Dragons against Liam Martin’s Panthers By Tallon Smith Three weeks on from one of the greatest triumphs in the history of State of Origin rugby league, people in the moderately sized town of Temora in the Riverina region of NSW continue to go about their daily business. Their local team, the Dragons, are coming off a 28-22 … Continue reading The backbone of the Blues: Three weeks on from Temora trio’s Origin triumph

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Canberra Rugby League: Yass recover from poor start to draw with finals bound Belconnen

By Tallon Smith The Yass Magpies have recovered from a horror start to share the points with Belconnen United Sharks on the weekend in a 30-all stalemate at Walker Park. The Sharks burst out of the blocks, building a 20-6 lead before the Magpies finally clicked into gear, dominating the remainder of the match, but ultimately the deficit was too large to fully overcome. Yass … Continue reading Canberra Rugby League: Yass recover from poor start to draw with finals bound Belconnen

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Barwon Darling Grand Finals: Googars down Warriors in epic, Redbacks go back-to-back in League Tag

Cover Photo: Courtney Boney By Tallon Smith The Brewarrina Golden Googars are the Barwon Darling Rugby League Premiers for the 2024 season after an 18-14 win over the Bourke Warriors at Ricky Walford Oval in Walgett on Sunday. The win breaks a 7-year premiership drought for the small town in the state’s Far West region, with the town’s 1,100-odd residents sent into party mode after … Continue reading Barwon Darling Grand Finals: Googars down Warriors in epic, Redbacks go back-to-back in League Tag

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Blueheelers are back: 50 year rugby league exile over

Cover Photo: Deniliquin Blueheelers President Kurt Longford (left) during his days at the Narrandera Lizards By Tallon Smith Rugby league will return to Deniliquin for the first time in a quarter of a century after the Deniliquin Blueheelers elected a committee at their AGM on Sunday afternoon. The club elected an extensive committee in the meeting at the Railway Hotel, with all executive positions filled. … Continue reading Blueheelers are back: 50 year rugby league exile over

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George Tooke: Bulldogs beat Boorowa as top five begins to take shape

Cover Photo: Cootamundra Bulldogs Facebook By Tallon Smith The Cootamundra Bulldogs have held onto a top three position in the George Tooke Shield for another week after a 38-12 victory over the Boorowa Rovers at the Boorowa Showground on Saturday. The Bulldogs’ victory, coupled with Harden losing to Binalong, sees the Cootamundra club remain in third position with one round left to play, with the … Continue reading George Tooke: Bulldogs beat Boorowa as top five begins to take shape

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Barwon Darling: Bourke and Brewarrina set for Grand Final on Sunday

By Tallon Smith The premier team in the Barwon Darling Rugby League for season 2024 will be crowned when the Bourke Warriors and Brewarrina Golden Googars meet in the Grand Final in Walgett on Sunday. The Warriors, who have been runners-up in the past two seasons to Goodooga, enter the match as favourites after taking home the competition’s Minor Premiership and having the week off … Continue reading Barwon Darling: Bourke and Brewarrina set for Grand Final on Sunday

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Group 20: Leeton, Yenda, DPC winners in Round 16

By Tallon Smith The Leeton Greenies have moved up to fourth place on the Group 20 ladder after a 30-18 win over the Griffith Black and Whites at Leeton No.1 Oval on Sunday. The four point swing from the win sees the Greenies leapfrog the Black and Whites in their battle to host the Elimination Final in three weekends’ time. Centre Billy Dickinson opened the … Continue reading Group 20: Leeton, Yenda, DPC winners in Round 16

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Magpies looking for new leader at nest as Coach Kyle to step down at year’s end

By Tallon Smith After two years at the helm of the Yass Magpies, First Grade/Club Coach Adam Kyle will step down from the role at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The announcement, which came as a shock to many, has triggered the beginning of a process to find a replacement for a job that Kyle has filled so admirably over the past two seasons. … Continue reading Magpies looking for new leader at nest as Coach Kyle to step down at year’s end

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