Preparations for Narrabri Blue Boars’ Central North premiership defence are in full swing after the club hosted its first pre-season training session of the year last Thursday.
Returning first grade coach Craig Gleeson was pleased with the turnout and was happy to see some new faces among the group.
“It was a really good hitout, first up,” Gleeson told The Courier.
“There were some new faces and there were 57 there all up, which we were quite happy about because there were quite a few guys from last year that we knew weren’t able to make it.
“It’s good signs I think.
“Everyone there was really keen to get into it.”
One of the Blue Boars’ 2022 CNRU premiership winners Toby Knight was one of the new faces at training after spending last season on the sidelines, and Nick Tomlinson was another. Gleeson said they would be handy additions and the Blue Boars would have positive depth in their backline this year.
The Narrabri coach is hopeful that the majority of the 2024 premiership-winning team would return.
“A couple of blokes are still a bit undecided,” Gleeson said.
“Jake Rumsby and Jydon Hill are a little bit up in the air still, but I’m hoping that because there’s only 10 games of footy and plenty of weeks off, that they can make it work.
“They are two very good footballers and they would both be very hard to replace.”
Training will be held again this week on Thursday only, and next week will see a Tuesday session added. Players will have the night off next Thursday and will instead train at Rowena on Saturday morning.
That session will be followed by lunch and drinks with players, club officials, families, friends and former Blue Boars at Rowena Pub.
Training will then revert to the usual Tuesday and Thursday sessions from the following week as the club ramps up preparations for the coming trial matches.
There have been two changes to the club’s pre-season match schedule.
The Blue Boars will no longer be heading to the Gold Coast on March 8 for a three-way trial against Griffith University and Warwick, but will now be playing at Crosby Park in Brisbane on that date instead. Their opposition for that game has not yet been locked in, but they will play ahead of the Australian Club Championship games between Bond Uni and Sydney Uni (Sukkar Cup) and Brothers and Easts (Bernard Power Challenge Trophy).
“That is a really good opportunity for us,” Gleeson said.
“Griffith were really understanding, and it was a three-way trial, so they will still have a game that day anyway.
“It’s worked out well for everyone.”
The Blue Boars will also host a home trial match against Coonamble on Friday, March 21, and the Narrabri under-18s team are also expected to play a trial game that night as well.
The annual Hannaford-Southwell Shield clash between the Blue Boars and St Albert’s College Armidale will be played at Dangar Park on Saturday, April 5. Either three or four grades will play throughout that evening.
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In more positive news for Blue Boars fans, the club has announced a coach for the women’s team ahead of their premiership defence in 2025.
Andrew Gale, a long-time supporter of the team and father of premiership-winning captain Toni Gale, will take the reins.
Back-to-back premiership winner Peta Cox, who co-coached the team to the minor and major premiership double in 2023, will be the assistant to Gale this year.
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The Blue Boars recently discovered that they would be playing 10 games in the 2025 first grade competition, not 12 as originally scheduled, after Scone departed Central North.
There are now six teams in both first grade and the women’s division and seven in reserve grade.
The competition will still run across 14 rounds, however, teams now have two extra byes.
The original CNRU draw had round 10 being played as a split round across two weekends, which will no longer be the case. It will now be held solely on Saturday, July 12, and then fixtures from round 11 through to grand final day have all been brought forward a week.
The grand finals will now be held on Saturday, September 6.
“Overall it’s pretty frustrating,” the Blue Boars’ club president Daniel Kahl said.
“Their reasons for leaving are understandable and we don’t begrudge them for leaving; it’s just the manner in which they’ve done it; the same as Walcha and Tamworth did it before them; so late in the piece when a draw is basically set.
“It’s also disappointing that NSW Country hasn’t played a bigger role in making sure that these moves are done in a way that causes as little
destruction as possible. I think NSW Country have failed to show any sort of leadership at all, frankly.”
