Group 19 rugby league: The Warialda Wombats are rebuilding

The Wombats spent the covid-affected 2020 and then 2021 on the sidelines before returning to the fold in 2022.

Their return culminated in a grand final-berth for their league tag team against the undefeated Tingha Tigers and are sitting second on the table in 2023.

"The girls are going fantastic," Wombats president Jake Kennedy said.

"The two coaches have a pretty handy girls team, there's a fair bit of youth and again a fair bit of experience.

"A few have stepped up from the juniors and a few have played last year, there's a few new connections there."

Their men's team have had their fair share of disruptions to the first-half of the 2023 season.

Injuries and suspensions have affected the side but for Kennedy it is more of a re-building phase than anything.

"We have got boys travelling from across the district again because there's not a great deal of men in Warialda that are playing footy," he said.

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"We were pretty unlucky with injuries at the start of the year.

"We had eight injuries in one week and four suspended so it is bloody hard fielding a team with injuries.

"But the last couple of weeks we have had nearly a full team back on the field and we have got a couple of wins which has been fantastic."

But there's young talent coming through the ranks.

The junior rugby league club has strong numbers for the size of the town and there's some livewires coming through into the men's side.

"We have got a couple of young blokes, a couple of under 18-year-olds, 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds which is good," Kennedy said.

"We have got a young fullback, young Denzel [Johnson-Munro], he wasn't even playing until we were short one day and I convinced. First game he got man-of-the-match and has been in the number one jumper ever since."

Then there's Beudeen Reid who spent time in the Manly Sea Eagles junior ranks and is expected to return to Sydney for the 2024 pre-season.

Off-the-field, things are looking up too.

There's been successful club events like Old Boys' and Sponsors' Day which brings valuable income to the club.

And there's more to come.

There's a Ladies' Day planned for their clash against Tingha on July 22 and the Wombats will don pink jerseys.

The income goes directly back into keeping the Wombats running, and not into player payments which became the norm across various clubs in previous years.

"You play because you want to be a part of it," Kennedy said.

"I look after the players, I cook them barbecues and give them free beers after training.

"It is a family club culture.

"If you are good enough to be getting paid, why not go and make some money somewhere else?"

This Saturday will see the Wombats travel to Bingara for the Bullets' Mason Daley Memorial fixture.

The Bullets will wear commemorative jerseys and auction them off post-game but it will be a big day for both clubs.

"Mason went to school in Warialda, he played junior rugby league for Warialda in 16s and stuff," Kennedy said.

"It will be a big day, it will be an emotional day.

"Whoever takes the field will be taking the field to win, don't get me wrong. But it will be a big day."

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