Tom Lahrs leads Tamworth Crows at Koori Knockout

And at the latest edition of the famed Koori Knockout, Lahrs's devotion to a new cause sprouted wings.

Lahrs captain-coached the Tamworth Crows in their debut showing at the annual Indigenous rugby league carnival, which was staged at Tuggerah over the long weekend, despite having moved from his hometown of Tamworth to Townsville three years ago.

"You can take the boy out of his town, but you can't ..." said Brock Wadwell, the Crows' No. 9 and Lahrs's brother-in-law.

It was the former Australia and NSW representative's first proper game since his 2016 season with the North Tamworth Bears. The 38-year-old former Raider played in the second-row for the Crows.

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"The big fella went well," said Wadwell, Lahrs' 2016 teammate at the Bears. "He actually got pretty fit in the last couple of weeks, knowing that he had to play.

"He had some real good hit-ups. I scored a try off the back of Tommy."

"He made his metres, done his job, and made some big tackles," Wadwell added. "He' still got it, the old fella."

The Crows won their opening game, beating the Tabulam Turtle Divers 24-0 on Saturday, but were eliminated when Waterloo Storm 1 thumped them 38-0 the following day.

To take part in the Central Coast mega event, Wadwell said Lahrs flew from Townsville to Brisbane, from Brisbane to Sydney and then from Sydney to Newcastle.

"He still does a lot for the [Tamworth] community," Wadwell said.

Wadwell said Lahrs and brothers Jake and Tristam Morris were the driving force behind the Crows' formation.

The Crows also fielded under-15 and under-17 boys sides at the carnival, which is one of the biggest Indigenous gatherings in Australia.

"They've spent a fair bit of time over the last couple of years organising it and making it happen," Wadwell said of Lahrs and the Morris brothers.

"He'd been wanting to get a local Tamworth side in the knockout for many years," Wadwell said of Jake Morris. "He's finally found enough resources and that to build a club.

"And they're gonna stick with that club, and it's gonna be a club that plays in [Koori] knockouts for many years to come for the town."

"It's just for the Indigenous community - get the kids active," he added.

Wadwell said the Crows aimed to field a women's side at next year's carnival.

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