Author: Tallon Smith

Hi, 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. Fast forward three years to the age of 17, and that project morphed into Battlers For Bush Footy, a project which I have been devoted to ever since. A keen observer of most sports, rugby league is my first true love, and the game I spend almost all of my winter months immersed in, producing content for Battlers For Bush Footy. I am also a keen follower of cricket, which I tend to cover in the summer months when rugby league is in its off-season. In addition to this, I am familiar with and have the capacity to cover various other sports such as basketball, Australian rules football, tennis, rugby union, soccer and motorsport. My work has been published in many mastheads including the Riverine Grazier, The Irrigator, The Area News, Gundagai Times, Yass Valley Times, Cootamundra Times, Boorowa Times, Twin Town Times, Young News, Junee Independent, Deniliquin Pastoral Times and West Wyalong Advocate. I'm still learning the ropes as a student of the craft, with the hope of one day turning my passion into a career. Visit my website for more info: https://tallonasmith.wordpress.com/

Statewide

ENTER NOW: How you can WIN $2,000 worth of Retro Jerseys for your club!

Advertising Feature Have you seen those trendy retro jerseys getting around bush footy circles in New South Wales? Chances are, they were made by these guys. Ganmain-based apparel company Cobrapparel is offering clubs the chance to win $2,000 worth of custom cotton retro jerseys in a design of their choice ahead of the 2026 season, all via a social media competition. The company launched the … Continue reading ENTER NOW: How you can WIN $2,000 worth of Retro Jerseys for your club!

Tallon Smith16th Oct 202516th Oct 2025Leave a comment

NRL

I’m not a Broncos fan. Why this year’s Grand Final was the most special one I’ve seen

Tallon Smith Previously, my favourite NRL Grand Final moment was the Sharks’ 2016 triumph over the Storm. However, on Sunday, thanks to a winning entry in the Sydney Morning Herald’s competition on the topic of your favourite Grand Final moment, I attended my first live NRL Grand Final, and a contest for the ages changed that. The Broncos, so long a sleeping giant of the … Continue reading I’m not a Broncos fan. Why this year’s Grand Final was the most special one I’ve seen

Tallon Smith9th Oct 20259th Oct 2025Leave a comment

Newcastle Division

Newcastle: Four in a row for Maitland after big win over Cessnock

Image: Newcastle Rugby League Facebook Tallon Smith The Maitland Pickers have claimed a fourth straight Newcastle Rugby League premiership after taking out the title with a 30-8 win over the Cessnock Goannas at McDonald Jones Stadium last weekend. The Pickers raced out to a 12-0 lead early through tries to Matthew Soper-Lawler and William Nieuwenhuise, before an early chance for Cessnock went begging after Lewis … Continue reading Newcastle: Four in a row for Maitland after big win over Cessnock

Tallon Smith2nd Oct 2025Leave a comment