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.
Uncategorized

Why Bush Footy’s Divergence Has Never Been More Stark Than in 2023

By Tallon Smith COUNTRY rugby league has been rocked by yet another proud club withdrawing from First Grade competitions for the 2023 season, with the Cowra Magpies this week electing not to field a team in the Peter McDonald Premiership this year. Bush Footy’s divergence between the rich and the poor has never been more stark than in 2023, with the top grade withdrawals of … Continue reading Why Bush Footy’s Divergence Has Never Been More Stark Than in 2023

Unknown's avatarTallon Smith1 Comment
Uncategorized

Wagga Brothers, Helensburgh withdraw from respective top grade competitions

By Tallon Smith SHOCKWAVES have been sent through the Group 9 and Illawarra competitions as proud clubs Wagga Brothers and Helensburgh Tigers have confirmed they will not suit up in their respective first grade competitions this season. The Brothers, who last won a Group 9 title way back in 1995, have been a consistent mid table side in the Group 9 competition for the past … Continue reading Wagga Brothers, Helensburgh withdraw from respective top grade competitions

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Queensland

Battler of the Year – Mannix Hunt

By Tallon Smith There’s nothing more integral to a country town than its community building events and activities. And in country Queensland and New South Wales, nothing beats the greatest game of all in its power to unite a community with the aim of achieving two common goals, fielding a competitive side, and the premiership. Earlier this year, in Queensland’s scorching Central West, the people … Continue reading Battler of the Year – Mannix Hunt

Unknown's avatarTallon Smith2 Comments
Uncategorized

Trials and tribulations for country footy fans in NRL Pre-Season Challenge fixture

By Tallon Smith For those fanatical enough to wade through the tide of off-season ‘top 10’ and ‘best of’ articles from this year, one press release may have stood out more than others. Following the slow death of pre-season football to closed trials played in training kits, the NRL has decided to regain control of the trial schedule to form a pre-season challenge, much like … Continue reading Trials and tribulations for country footy fans in NRL Pre-Season Challenge fixture

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

SPOTLIGHT: Group 3 Rugby League

by Tallon Smith (28/04/2022) On the Mid-North Coast, where the waves crash in, a true beacon of light is the Group 3 Rugby League competition. Featuring 8 teams, Group 3 coexists with the second tier Hastings League, forming one of the most fertile rugby league regions in Regional NSW. The Group 3 competition contains the Forster-Tuncurry Hawks, Macleay Valley Mustangs, Old Bar Beach Pirates, Port … Continue reading SPOTLIGHT: Group 3 Rugby League

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

SPOTLIGHT: Group 7 Rugby League

by Tallon Smith (20/04/2022) South of Sydney, where Lake Illawarra and the picturesque Tasman Sea meet the urban sprawl south of Wollongong, is rugby league heartland. This is Group 7 territory, the area with the 6th highest combined rugby league participation rate in NSW, a feat made all the more impressive when its population catchment is compared to some larger NSWRL jurisdictions. And boy, are … Continue reading SPOTLIGHT: Group 7 Rugby League

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

SPOTLIGHT: Out on the Dry Plains

by Tallon Smith (12/04/2022) 700km North-West of Sydney, where the plains turn to a dusty landscape, a Rugby League oasis centred around the Barwon-Darling River continues to nurture rich talent and keep the ‘greatest game of all’ alive. The Barwon Darling Rugby League, created around 20 years ago after the collapse of Group 15 in 1992, allows Far North West towns to continue to play … Continue reading SPOTLIGHT: Out on the Dry Plains

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

SPOTLIGHT: EVERY ROUND IS MAGIC ROUND

by Tallon Smith Out in the parched semi-arid plains west stretching from the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area to the Central Darling Shire and beyond, a competition has proved that age, distance, finances, past misdemeanours and the prolonged decline of rural towns is no barrier to footy. In fact, the people of Barellan, Goolgowi, Hillston, Ivanhoe, Narrandera and Rankins Springs believe that those factors make footy all … Continue reading SPOTLIGHT: EVERY ROUND IS MAGIC ROUND

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

GOODOOGA SWOOP TO GRAND FINAL GLORY

by Tallon Smith Best Articles of 2022 #5 AFTER an extended period of recess, the Goodooga Magpies have completed a fairytale return to the Barwon Darling Rugby League competition with a nailbiting 27-26 triumph over undefeated local powerhouse Bourke Warriors. Goodooga, a town of just 247 people, struggled to overcome the Bourke Warriors juggernaut all year, but persistence and hard work paid off for the … Continue reading GOODOOGA SWOOP TO GRAND FINAL GLORY

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

RABBITOHS, ROOSTERS CROW AT PROTEN CUP GRAND FINAL DELIGHT

by Tallon Smith (17/07/2022) Best Articles of 2022 #4 The Ivanhoe Roosters have stamped their passport to make a trip the size of a small country after qualifying for the Proten Community Cup Rugby League Grand Final in Barellan next weekend courtesy of a 28-10 victory over Hillston in the Preliminary Final at Henry Mathieson Oval in Narrandera. The Roosters started strong with tries to … Continue reading RABBITOHS, ROOSTERS CROW AT PROTEN CUP GRAND FINAL DELIGHT

Unknown's avatarTallon SmithLeave a comment