Narrabri Rugby League Football Club enters the 2023 campaign with a fresh committee, one that is determined to help the mighty Blues continue to move forward successfully and to help the club and everyone involved in it reach their full potential.
The club’s ladies’ league tag coach, Kristie Toomey, has stepped up this year to become president, and she is joined by life member Pat Mowle, who is the vice-president.
Amanda Smith is the Narrabri club’s secretary and Sylvie Golding is the treasurer.
There are three general committee members, including Bec McMillan, Jack Adams and Kaleb Mowle.
As reported in The Courier last week on Thursday, January 19, Josh Trindall was recently appointed the club’s first grade coach and oversaw his first pre-season session last Tuesday.
Ashley Hynch was named the club’s 2023 reserve grade coach. He last coached the side in 2019 and was the club’s league tag coach in 2021.
Toomey was announced as coach of the ladies league tag team for what will be her second season in charge.
She told The Courier that she was keen for the 2023 campaign to begin from both a coaching and president’s perspective.
She first got involved with the club in 2004 as a strapper and was a fan of the Blues long before that.
She has spent many years as a part of the Narrabri Blues across various roles, one being a key player in the ladies’ team.
She loves the club and is looking forward to the added responsibility that awaits her this season alongside what she described as a great group of people.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” she said of putting her hand up for the president’s role.
“I’m still getting my head around it, and it’ll be a big change.
“I’m glad I did. We have a great bunch of people on the committee, which is good.
“I’m happy with the committee and the coaches and everyone who’s come on board.
“We are all new in our roles and we are just trying to make it a good atmosphere, getting it back to being the old Blues.
“We want to improve the club and bring it back to being not just a successful club but a family-orientated club too.
“We want everyone to come back and enjoy football again.
“We want old players to come back and be home, not be everywhere else.
“We want everyone to enjoy it this season.”
Toomey said that she was motivated to coach the league tag side again this year and continue the team’s progress, as well as all of the players’ individual improvement.
“This is my second year,” she said.
“I’d like to keep going with the young girls that are still learning.
“There’s more interest with the girls this year. There’s a few more young girls coming up.
“I’m trying to develop the interaction for those young girls and keep them motivated to play.
“Our girls improved a lot last year.
“We started with practically a brand new side. There were probably three that were returners.
“There were girls that never played or had seen tag.
“They really wanted to learn and go forward, which was good.”
Toomey spoke highly of her fellow coaches Trindall and Hynch.
“A lot of the blokes look up to Josh and Ashley,” she said.
“First grade will be a good challenge for Josh, and hopefully one that’ll be a successful one for him and the club.”
The Blues are still searching for an under-18s coach, and anyone interested in coaching the under-18s team is encouraged to get in touch with the committee.
The club also encourages anyone who would like to join the committee and become a part of the club in 2023 to come along to a meeting or to get in touch with one of the committee members.
To order photos from this page click here
