Berowra Junior Rugby League Football Club

Another successful year for the Berowra Wallabies. After having seven teams making it into Grand Finals at both North Sydney and Brookvale Oval’s last weekend the Wallabies came away with a total of four premierships.

A Reserve – Premiers
U14’s – Minor Premiers and Premiers
U15’s - Premiers
U16’s – Minor Premiers and Premiers

U9’S - Grand Finalists and Undefeated Minor Premiers
U13’s – Grand Finalists
U19’s – Grand Finalists and Minor Premiers

Club President Lisa Cunningham was once again ecstatic with the result. “The Club is so proud of all our teams this year, the success of our juniors in particular has been so pleasing and we are hopeful of taking out the Junior Club Championship”.

The A Reserve was a great triumph for the club. Coming from fourth position on the table to take out the Many Premiership is an outstanding effort. Even in the Grand Final the boys came from behind to win the match by two points late in the second half. It was an emotional win for Coach Brad Collins, his coaching staff and the players.

On Tuesday night 28th July, the Berowra Wallabies in conjunction with the Manly Sea Eagles arranged for Darren Marton from the NRL "No-Way Campaign" to come and speak to players from the club ages U15 to U19's. The evening was well attended and attendees included approximately 60+ boys from these age groups in addition to coaches, managers and committee members. The "No-Way Campaign" Foundation was formed in 2008 by a group of concerned people primarily focused on prevention through educating the youth of Australia about the real dangers and consequences associated with illicit drugs and alcohol. The "No-Way Campaign" Foundation believes that by educating our youth about the real dangers and consequences it will allow young people to make good, informative choices on this very important issue. This in Turn will lead to a happy, but more importanbly safe and bright futures without having the need to indulge in drugs.

Berowra Wallabies President Lisa Cunningham says "As a club we are committed to getting the right message out to our young players on all aspects of behaviour both on and off the field, if these issues are met at "grassroots level" it may help in reducing the recent issues we have been witnessing at the elite level of the game. This seminar will hopefully be the first of many the club intends to run aimed at mentoring our teenage boys. I would especially like to thank the Manly Sea Eagles for their assistance in getting this off the ground"

On March 24th a number of boys mostly Wallabies players from St Bernards Catholic School at Berowra attended Forestville Oval for the Broken Bay Diocese (Northern Beaches, North Shore & Central Coast) Polding Selection Trials for 2009.

Josh Dickerson, Dan Rorke & Joshua McCarthy (former Wallaby now playing Union) were all selected for the Open Boys team and Luke Spencer was successful for the under 11’s team.

The boys will now travel to Bathurst on May 1 this year where they will play a series of games against boys selected from other diocese around the state where a NSWPSSA representative team will be selected.

The New South Wales Rugby League Academy will be making a contribution to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund and would like to encourage all Junior Leagues and Junior League Clubs to do the same.

We express our support and encourage all of our members to do what they can to help out. An online donation can be made by clicking on the following link:

Just a day before the big victory over Valley, winning the A Grade grand final for Berowra one of our stars, centre Bladen Baird played a key roll for the Norths Premier league side scoring a try to defeat the Bulldogs 40-38 at Crest Stadium Bass Hill.

The Bears fought back after finding themselves down 34-0 after just 30 minutes in a terriffic display after going into the match well down on troop's through injuy.

The Berowra Wallabies celebrated and paid tribute to their most successful season ever for the senior squads at the Annual Senior Presentation night, held Saturday 11^th October at the Berowra Village Tavern.

Two weeks prior, representatives from Berowra Junior Rugby League attended the Manly Junior League Presentation Night and brought home the premiership trophies for both the A Grade and U19’s in addition to the Manly JL Senior Club Championship Trophy which were all showcased on the evening.

Players from the Wallabies’ A Grade, A Reserve and U19’s celebrated along with coaches, managers, committee members, supporters, friends and family.

Both gentlemen have been associated and have worked hard in contributing to the success of the club for many years.

Well, it seems no time at all since I was sitting here at the end of last Season when I was appointed President writing the Season Wrap for 2007. 2008 would have to be one of our most successful yet and this success has come about and has been a culmination of many years of hard work from so many people.

The success of our A Grade this season (beginning with the Valley 8’s Comp in February) has generated tremendous support from within our little community and has been a contributing factor to the fantastic season for the club as a whole and this success has filtered down throughout the junior ranks and with our top 3 senior teams taking out the Minor Premierships, we are assured of the Senior Club Championship once again in North Sydney as well as this year Manly.

In addition to five premierships, we had seven teams in all competing in Grand Finals. Our U11’s and A Reserves (Minor Premiers) also did us proud on Grand Final day and were valiant in defeat. In fact every team playing competition was successful in making it through to the semi finals, our U9 Whites were also Minor Premiers.

We had some brilliant results from our mini’s too, U6’s, U7’s and U8’s who also had lots of fun along the way. Thank you to all our wonderful coaches and managers for a job well done.

Once again we saw some new initiatives and ideas introduced by many of the brilliant minds from within our organisation:

These are not all but some and I am certain that Season 2009 will bring about more as we endeavour to continually raise the bar.

Our many Sponsors, in particular our major Platinum Sponsors, The Berowra Village Tavern and The Bush Telegraph Weekly. The support of all the organisations who have been in partnership with us this year is truly a major contributing factor to our success. I encourage everyone to visit the Sponsor Page on our website and source the many services available to the community.

I must also make special mention of our VP Wayne Dickerson for his hard work in sourcing and generating sponsorship for the Club.

To every single Committee Member who has worked tirelessly in the background and on game days, in addition to others such as Andy Paterson and Ruth Haack, This Club would not be where it is today without you.

“FOBS”, which stands for “Friends of Berowra” and not any of the other names that eople have come up with!!! This band of merry men seems to have tripled in numbers this year and I thank all of you for your generous contributions throughout the Season.

I also have to thank local radio station 2HHH 100.1 for their promotion and the calling of games this year, not only A Grade but other grades as well. Ricky D, Keith, Pat, Albie, Mal and all the other presenters together with the Kathie and the girls at the Bush Tele you guys have certainly raised our profile within the local community.

I will again thank all our Coaches and Managers, in addition to players, members, parents and especially our wonderful supporters. Looking forward to next season where we will all be moving in the same direction – TAKING THIS CLUB FORWARD AND REMEMBERING OUR MOTTO “ONE CLUB-ONE TEAM”.

The Berowra Wallabies topped off the 2008 season as the most successful in their 41year history last weekend winning 5 out of 7 grand finals, by beating Valleys United 22 points to 14 at Brookvale oval.

After getting 7 out of a possible 11 teams into grand finals this is a defining moment for us, said club President Lisa Cunningham.

A-Grade captain coach Trent Dally dedicated the win to everyone associated with the club since it's inception back in 1967.

Other successful teams included, under 9 Maroons (defeated Willoughby), under 13's (defeated Hills Hawks), under 15's (defeated Asquith) and C-Grade (defeated Christian Bros). Unfortunately the under 11's and A-Reserve grades went down fighting, but both were beaten by better teams on the day.

The junior presentation will be held at Warrina Street Oval on September 14th, with the senior presentation tentatively set for October 11th. Further details will be advised shortly.

The Berowra Wallabies today secured their fifth team into grand finals in two weeks time at North Sydney and Brookvale ovals respectively.

Today’s victories by both the A Grade and C-Grade followed successful matches by the under 9 maroons, the under 11’s and under 13s in games played on Saturday. Next weekend we have another 5 teams competing in grand final qualifiers, so we could have as many as 10 teams from 11 competitive sides playing for a premiership the following week. The only team who have missed out so far was the under 14’s who went down narrowly to Hills Hawks on Saturday when defeated by 12 points to 10.

Club President Lisa Cunningham was grinning from ear to ear after the completion of this weekends’ finals and said “this season has been the culmination of many many months of hard work from everyone. To have 10 out of 11 teams either qualified or still alive as we enter the week before grand finals is a dream result for the Wallabies”.

The strength and depth of talent at the club now could see some of these teams dominate for some years into the future, which just adds to the excitement as the 2008 season approaches the penultimate weekend next week.

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERY JUNIOR TEAM AND GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND

Oh behalf of the committee, members and senior squads I would like to wish all our junior teams the best of luck during the finals.

JUNIOR GRAND FINAL - SATURDAY 23 AUGUST

Whether you are there or not on the day, (of course we will all be there) we would like to invite all junior teams to come back to the Tavern after Grand Final day so all teams can celebrate together. Guys, please get the word out to your players and parents and encourage them to make a day of it at North Sydney oval to watch all the teams play, then we will head back to the Tavern at the end of the day. There will be a sausage sizzle and the Tavern will be putting on softdrinks for all the boys.

Let's all get behind each other and drown North Sydney oval in Maroon and White!!!!

Today marked the beginning of a new era for not only Berowra, but the whole North Sydney district. The Wallabies A-Grade team today became the first North Sydney side to win the minor premiership in the combined Manly and North Sydney competiton, by defeating Narrabeen 32 - 12 at Warrina Street Oval.

Captain coach Trent Dally praised not only the players and support staff but everyone involved with the club, but reminded everyone that the job was still only partially completed. "We must all remain focused on the job ahead as we begin the finals series in two weeks time." he said.

It was tremendous to see the faces on people who have been loyal supporters for many years and have been waiting for this day for a long long time.

Club president Lisa Cunningham urged all Wallabies supporters to get out and support all the teams in the upcoming finals series, which begins this weekend for the juniors at Warrina street Oval. A full draw for this weekend can be found in the draw section of this website.

A 4 ball ambrose golf day will be held at Chatswood golf club on Friday October 3rd. Join some Bears Legends for a greatr social game where there will be prizes for nearest the pin, longest/straightest drives, best scores, lucky door prizes and much much more.

Book your place or become a sponsor and play with a Bears legend. Please contact Greg Florimo on 9245 3060 or greg@northsydneybears.com.au for further details.

Once again the Wallabies are creating headlines for all the right reasons. This year we are pleased to have seen a number of young and not so young referee's recruited to the ranks of the North Sydney whistle blowers. All the recruits have been learning their trade over the past few months with great success. So much that two of them will take staring roles at ANZ Stadium in Wednesday's Origin Decider!

Matt Dayhew and Lewis Williamson will make big time debuts in the little league matches at half time in the big game. What a great experience this will undoubtebley be, given the occasion and huge crowd expected come Wednesday evening.

All the committee at the Wallabies would like to wish both the boys all the best for a great game on Wednesday night. If you are going out there, be sure to give them a cheer, on a night to remember for more reasons the one.

BJRLFC would like to congratulate Ben Ryan who has been selected in the New South Wales Combined Independent Schools Under 18 Rugby League team that is to compete in the 2008 Australian Schoolboys Rugby League Championship.

The Championship is being held in Darwin, Northern Territory for seven days from July 13th to 18th. The competition involves the 7 mainland states with 10 teams divided into two pools and showcases some of the best young rugby league footballers in

Australia

At the end of the championships, after the Final, the Australian School Boys Team will be announced. The Australian Schoolboys Team will play Schoolboy Rugby League Tests in Australia this year.

The Championship is an exciting time for all players as most of the NRL clubs have talent scouts watching the boys play.

Anyone wishing to show support for Ben is urged to do so either personally or via the clubs email at president@berowrawallabies.com.au

This letter was recently received from Judy Hopwood MP (Hornsby) congratulating A-Grade coach Trent Daly on his recent success with the team.

Now that an advance draw has been made available, we are calling for nominations from all teams to assist with the running of the oval on match days.

The duties include setting up the ground prior to the first game, assiting with the operation of the BBQ and canteen throughout the day and helping with packing up after the final game. These duties will be assistance only, you will not be required to run the day on your own. Of course when your team is playing, all volunteers will be expected to down tools and cheer on their team for that period.

All teams will be required to nominate an appropriate date, and arrange for people to be available to cover all of the above areas and times. The roster is fast filling, so be quick to nominate a suitable day by emailing president@berowrawallabies.com.au.

Doug Foster is synonymous with Berowra Rugby League. His relentless charges into opposition defences for over twenty years or his self appointed leadership of any social event with best mate Craig ‘Chewy’ Ulrick, have seen him become an institution in the little town south of the Hawkesbury Bridge.

While Doug enjoyed many on field successes it is his expedition into the ‘clipboard brigade’ that is currently bringing him the most satisfaction. As the Wallabies A-Reserve grade coach this year Doug with ‘Chewy’ still by his side have guided the young reserve grade team to the top of the table after five rounds of the Many District A2 Competition.

While success itself brings about a sense of satisfaction, it is the fact that the side is comprised of many local juniors that gives the coaches along with manager Wayne King, and trainer Scott Paterson the most joy. ‘We as a coaching staff have known half of this side since they were seven years old and seeing them grow up and having the opportunity to coach them has been a massive thrill for all of us. The fact that we are successful is just a bonus’ commented Foster.

The players themselves are clearly responding to their new coaches with outstanding performances on the field. Foster has been thrilled with his forwards in particluar Sean Bovis, Peter Haack and Jas Curran. ‘The work rate and raw aggression of these guys is what is laying the foundation for our success’ he observed. Mitch Eirth, captain Cam Robinson and Nathan Arnamnart are benefitting from the excellent go forward established by the forward pack creating many opportunities around the halves. ‘All the boys are really responding to Cam as the skipper while Nathan and Mitch are killing it around the ruck’. said Foster. Out wide Pat Bamford, Mitch Porter and Adam Moratti have dominated their opposition and all three continue to pressure for a spot in A-Grade side.

Such was the ruthless nature of the side when they played North Sydney Brothers that Foster was moved to comment, ‘The way they played that day I would be happy with that side playing A- Grade.’ The return of Darren Green for the Brothers game resulted in him achieving a personal haul of 32 points with five tries and six goals, a record that will not be forgotten in a hurry.

Interestingly, Foster points to the the players who cannot get consistent time on the field that he attributes much of the success. ‘My hardest job each week is having to tell up to twelve guys that they won’t get a run. But that’s the great thing about this place no-one complains and I am still seeing thirty blokes a training. There is a great feeling in the club as everyone wants success.’

It might be a wink, nod, smile or the bright maroon and yellow polo shirt that tips you off but be sure and keep your eye out for a new force in Wallaby World.

Co-Founder and current F.O.B. President Mark Eirth explains that the group of 19 avid supporters of the club joined this year to support the Wallabies by making an annual financial contribution that goes towards the footballing needs of all players in the club. ‘We are not in a position to make a major contribution to Berowra bit I figure as a group our donation can become pretty significant’ Eirth reasoned.

Club President Lisa Cunnigham was thrilled when approached by the group and points to the sense of community that underpins the Rugby League Club as the prime motivator for the selfless act. ‘I get quite overwhelmed by the countless people who act simply to see our club thrive and the members of the F.O.B.s are just another wonderful example of the quality of people in Berowra and I thank them all very much’ she remarked.

Eirth was quick to point out that membership for 2008 was not closed and that anyone interested in joining need only contact him through details on the club website. ‘We are more than happy for more people to join as we would like to develop the social aspect of the group and perhaps looking to the future the F.O.B. scholarship is not such a dream if we can raise membership.’

In round 2 the under 8 Berowra Wallabies had to play with only 6 players against a full strength + 2 reserves Pennant Hills Black side. All the boys were nervous starting the game short manned but all put their heads down and knew if they tackled and played a smart defensive game they could win.

Well what an understatement! The boys won 64-0. I’m so proud to have coached this team and to see the commitment at training shine trough on game day. They played as a true team and their speed off the line was awesome, swamping the Pennant Hills side before they had a chance to use the ball.

These 6 boys, Hayden Baxter, Ben Collins, Will Garrett, Rhys Covey, Marcus Shepherd and Jack Roberts are all, in my opinion, going to be stars of the future. They all display a football brain when on the field with the uncanny knack of being able to read a game of football from on the field. They back each other up and never argue over on field decisions made by themselves or the referee’s. It was a true “TEAM” effort and all 6 boys deserve a mention as without each other this win wouldn’t have been possible.

Next time anyone is around to watch these boys play I urge you to take 5 minutes to watch the skills of the under 8’s in action.

The Berowra Wallabies A-Grade side remain undefeated in the Manly district rugby league competition after a resounding 38 points to 18 victory over the powerful Cromer Kingfishers at Warrina St. Oval last Sunday. The emphatic nature of the win will surely send warning bells across the Peninsula as Cromer had been tipped by many to be a top contender this year such was the strength of their recruitment in the off season.

A crowd of 1500 people decked out in maroon cheered the home side who piled on three unanswered tries in the opening twenty minutes and from that point on the visitors could not compete. A dominant performance from all four prop forwards Ryan Dally, Ben Tonks, Louie Sharara and Sean Wickendon allowed the talents of the halves to flourish and create many attractive tries.

The first try to Michael Radocay will be remembered by all who attended as Damian Naughton curled a banana kick into the winger’s waiting hands and go over in the corner untouched. Cromer rallied late in the half to get the score to 16 points to ten after good lead up work through Ruben Enoka and Steve Matthews however the second half started much the same as the first and any notion of a tight contest were quickly dispelled.

Hooker Ciaran Williamson again proved his worth to the side getting through a mountain of defence, controlling the ruck and going over for a try late in the game. The hooker’s efforts along with half Naughton and five eighth Chris Lowe ensured that the home side’s target of a 90 per cent completion rate was achieved.

A double to Radocay as well as left centre Curtis Johnson plus a try to Jason Mazgay and five goals from seven attempts to Naughton left Cromer in a state of shock as they made the long trip home without the two points.

The visitors will be sweating on the imminent arrival of John Hopoate as they lacked creativity in attack and will need his experience to spark more try scoring opportunities.

Coach Trent Dally was ecstatic with the performance and reserved special praise for the way his young props stood up against their more fancied opponents. ‘To have these guys perform the way they did against seasoned players who have played at a State Cup level and come out on top was just awesome.’

His fears of these players going into their shell were quickly allayed in the opening exchanges as they charged into their opponents. ‘All four of these guys are no frills players who go about their business and don’t care about reputations’ he enthused.

Club President Lisa Cunningham spoke after the game about the successful start for Berowra both on and off the field. ‘The support of the local community is never more evident than a home game weekend’ she said to local radio Triple HHH commentator Ricky D as the A Grade side performed their victory song to a standing ovation from a packed hill .

In what must be a first for the club the supporters ate their way through 800 steak and sausage sandwiches using up over one hundred loaves of bread in the process. Such is the popularity of the club Triple HHH have received a request from Mayor Nick Berman to be part of the call team for the next home match. ‘Everyone at the club is moving in the same direction and things couldn’t be better’ said Lisa who was clearly elated with the result.

Earlier games saw the Berowra under 17s record the first defeat for Cromer in eighteen months winning 18-12, while the C grade side battled out a draw against last year’s premiers Hills Hawkes and Reserve Grade continued their undefeated start to the year with a 32 points to 12 win also over Cromer.

Berowra Rugby League Club began their senior grade campaign in the Manly District competition in superior style last Sunday with wins in the A and A reserve grade games against Narraweena last Sunday. The A grade recorded a commanding 32 points to 16 victory while the reserve grade side gave debutant coach Doug Foster heart palpitations with a field goal in the last minute of the match sealing the win for the visiting Wallabies.

The A Grade was a particularly explosive affair with two Narraweena player’s sin binned and one sent off for continual high shots. The young Berowra outfit was not put off by the intimidating tactics nor by the 12 point lead that Narraweena built early in the match.

Tries to Ryan Dally and Bladen Baird after excellent lead up work through hooker Ciaran Williamson, second rower and Captain Trent Dally and five eighth Chris Lowe saw Berowra drag themselves bag into the match at 16 points to 10.

On the stroke a half time winger Jason Mazgay standing isolated on the edge of the sideline motioned to Lowe for a cross field kick, what followed was superb football play that delighted the 200 Berowra supporters who had made the trip down to support their side. Lowe’s kick was weighted perfectly and Mazgay took the ball superbly all the while negotiating the 30 cm of room he had to work and outrunning the cover defence to dive over in the corner. The outstanding conversion by halfback Damian Naughton saw the scores tied at half and the sprit of Narraweena broken.

The resumption of play saw the game degenerate with high shots and elbows in the tackle the clear game plan of the home side. With the referee taking control and sin binning two players Berowra ran in more points through Mazgay, winger Michael Radocay and Lowe. Naughton’s five form seven with boot and the Wallabies excellent defence meant Narraweena never threatened in the second half.

Captain/Coach Dally was a relieved man after the match and cited an excellent pre season along with the astute match day strategies from assistant coach Tony Porter as the primary ingredients for the initial success, ‘I knew after our pre season that we were fit enough to come back and with Tony on the sidelines I was very confident as we have been planning and working towards this day for five months’ he remarked.

The attention of the local rugby league community is now focused on the John Hopoate led Cromer Kingfishers who will make the trip north to the Warrina St. cauldron this Sunday at 3pm.

Club President Lisa Cunningham is excited at the prospect of hosting such a big rugby league name in Hopoate with the fanatical Berowra crowd on hand to support their side. ‘I have said all along that the Berowra community is the driving force behind this club and their will be no better example of that then when our new look A-grade side take on Cromer. There is a full card of games on and I know the younger sides would love the support with the football action starting at 11.’ In further good news for the community, radio station Triple HHH will be calling the A-grade action from 3 O’clock on 100.1 FM. ‘Having the guys from Triple HHH come on board has been a huge boost for the club and I know the players and their families get a great thrill having the game called’ Cunningham enthused.

We were blessed with perfect weather for yesterdays first round clash with the Kangaroos from down Willoughby way. After a strenuous few minutes trying to get the guys clothed, we could then concentrate on the main issue of the day: getting these rugby league fuelled demons on to the paddock.

After a brief warm-up session which included a cuddle from mum & a game of chasings, my partner in crime Chris Ebbs (who I might add turned down a lucrative contract with the Brisbane Bronco's to stay here with Berowra), led the boys onto the field for the very first time.

The roar from the crowd was amazing, with chants like "don't forget your mouthguard" & "are you sure you don't need to go to the toilet first?"

Here they were, 16 mighty warriors about to open the 2008 season for the Berowra JRLFC. After a brief game of hide the whistle with our referee Noel, the battle had begun. Although our boys were outsized by the opposition their skill & determination embedded in them by Chris was shining through. With a defensive line that resembled Indians around a totem pole, the Kangaroos broke through for the first try. Not to be out done we battled our way back with brilliant play making from guys like Kainoa & Joseph to go to the first break at 2 - 1 up.

With only a few minutes break Chris & I talked tactics while the boys enjoyed refreshing oranges (thanks Aurora) & re-grouped. I then had the honour of leading this elite band of footballing greats onto the field for the second term. After a tight see-sawing tussle, we came to the break 3 -2 up.

As our opponents were dwindling in numbers it was decided that we would surrender a couple of our boys to help them out for the third term (how confusing was this?). Anyway this session of football was tight & no-one had broken the tight defence for either side; this was it, time to unleash my secret weapon!

Picture this if you can: 20m out from the line,2 tackles down & up against the defence of titans,what can you do? who can you turn to? Then it happened, I started to hear voices, little voices, was I going crazy? I looked down & there it was, the answer I had been looking for, Tana (dozer) Killick. After 3 bullet like passes from the play the ball he was off & running, legs pumping like pistons he was going hard, could anyone stop this possessed gladiator? he was still going & no-one had laid a hand on him, over the side line but he was still running. Thank God for the fence because that's all that could stop this machine, Forrest Gump has got nothing on this guy! But this was all we needed to break the concentration of our opposition. In our next set we managed to cross our opponents line once more to finish the game 4-2 up.

Game 1 down & top of the table. Great job guys!

Thanks to Andy & Rosemary ( Top of the Ridge Bakery) Steve & Suzy (ICTX) & the Girls from Kids in the Sky for helping make our new jerseys so colourful!

The Berowra Wallabies are in full swing ahead of the upcoming rugby league season.
In a season where the rugby league world will celebrate its centenary year the Wallabies plan on doing some celebrating of their own by taking home the clubs first ever senior premiership in the highly regarded manly A grade competition.

After some impressive recruiting to add to the clubs already talented roster the team is primed for a huge year. Anyone who has had a chance to get down to Warrina St. on a Tuesday or Thursday night will be able to attest to that. With a squad of over 50 turning up to each session rain, hail, or shine, the boys are being put through a vigorous regime under the watchful eye of Head trainer Tony Porter. Throw in Saturday morning torture sessions at the Palm Beach sand hills and it’s easy to see why there is such a buzz around this club at the moment.

"This has been one of the most impressive starts to a pre season that I have been involved in." A grade captain/coach Trent Dally says, "everyone is playing
their part and we are leaving no stone unturned in our quest for premiership glory".

The Berowra Wallabies annual Season Launch will be held Saturday, 1st March at Berowra Village Tavern. We have a great line up of entertainment including Guest Speaker Paul Langmack. Tickets are available at the Tavern or by contacting the following:

The Berowra Wallabies continued their impressive build up to the upcoming season with the recruitment of 3 key players. Brothers Pat and Ciarin Williamson, and Chris Lowe who is the younger brother of established stars Matt and Clint will all don the maroon and white this year.

Pat a center/secondrower played and captained Gateshead Thunder last year over in England. Younger brother Ciarin, a hooker, played with Asquith's Jim Beam Cup side where he took out player of the year honours. Chris, a talented five-eight/lock also crosses over from Asquith Jim beam.

All 3 are ex players returning to the Wallabies and are extremely excited about the year ahead. "This will be a big year for us, Berowra's professionalism and organisation is what attracted us to the club" Pat said. A grade coach Trent Dally says "with these guys coming on board to join our already talented roster with guys like Sean Bovis, Clint Lowe and Michael Radocay to name a few, the season ahead looks very promising". The club begins official training on Tuesday 29th January, at Warrina St 6.30pm, all new players welcome. The Wallabies will be holding registration days for ages U6 and up early February, dates and venues are on our Join Us page.

Kids from Berowra and surrounding suburbs enjoyed an afternoon of rugby league at Warrina Street oval last Tuesday. In a promotion conducted by the Australian Rugby League Development, together with the local Berowra Wallabies, new recruits and existing players alike were put through their paces in a series of drills to experience what it is like to play rugby league. The younger kids initially play mini and mod games which are designed to teach kids the skills without being injured whilst their young bodies develop. “It’s not so much about winning, but more about learning and having fun” said club president Lisa Cunningham.

Jess Palmer, National Development Officer from the ARL said, “It’s great to see such an enthusiastic group of kids who are keen to take part in rugby league. Some of the skills shown were of a very high standard, so all looks good for the future of the Berowra wallabies.”

After the session, the kids and parents enjoyed a drink and a sausage sandwich from the famous Wallabies BBQ.

Registration for the 2008 season is now open and registration forms can be obtained by visiting the clubs website at, www.berowrawallabies.com.au . The usual registration days will still be conducted on February 2 and 17, so keep an eye out for times and venues.

Due to the retirement of Pat Lowe as A Grade coach Berowra Rugby League Club would like to announce the appointment of Trent Dally as Captain/Coach for 2008 season in conjunction with Assistant Coach Tony Porter. Trent has been an integral and invaluable part of our A Grade the past few Seasons and in that time he has gained considerable respect from the players in both A Grade and A Reserve. We are excited as a Club to retain Trent. Indications are already there in his professionalism and innovative approaches to enhance the future of our club at a senior level.

We feel that Trent and Tony, as a team, will continue the momentum the club has been gaining over the past 3 – 4 years. Tony himself has been a very successful coach at senior levels in the past for Berowra. In 2005 he coached our U19’s to a Manly Premiership and since then the club has retained many of those players in the A Grade. Others have gone on to be successful at representative levels. Before that, the club had not fielded an U19’s team since 1996.

Also exciting is the fact that Pat Lowe’s services within the club will also be retained in the position of Coaching Director. Pat aims to ensure the future development of coaches at all levels within the club in addition to the continuation of other recruitment and junior development initiatives that he has developed in his role as A Grade coach over the past 3 years.

BRLC would like to congratulate Trent and his team, and look forward to a very successful 2008.

Looking back on 2007 we can all feel proud of the way the club has performed.in our competitive age groups we all but two reaching the semi finals,we had our champion under 12s taking out the grand final, our 13s and 14s reaching the grand final and our two senior teams making the Manly finals for the first time.

Not a bad effort and it is a fitting tribute to all the hard work that went in this year.our support at home and away games is second to none and the continued generosity of our sponsors shows the faith they have in the way the club is heading.

I would like to take this opportunity to give a big thank you to our committee for the time and effort they have put in this year.

Our new president for the 2008 season, Lisa Cunningham, I am sure will lead the team to new heights of success and will have the backing of players, supporters and sponsors.

At the time of writing we are still looking for junior coaches in certain age groups so if you think you have something to offer in this or any other area please do not hesitate to step forward,we are continually looking to improve our coaching and off field personnel.

On a personal note,it is a bitter/sweet feeling not being president and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank everyone involved on committee,coaching staff and sponsors for your support over the past 5 years and remind you to continue in the same vein.