It's that time of the year again - time to hang up the cricket bat, get out of the pool and pull on the rugby boots! Training starts this coming Friday, 14th March at Cranfield Oval for all age groups. We will start the evening with a quick welcome at 5pm sharp, break up into age groups for team training session, and then head to the clubhouse for a free sausage sizzle. A few points to note for this Friday and the Season ahead: 1. Player registrations are open! If you haven't done so yet, you can register via Rugby Xplorer. If you register before this Friday your child will receive a pair of Yabbies socks, shorts, training shirt and a much anticipated free YABBIES JIBBET. Some readers might need an explanation of what JIBBETS are, my advice is to ask your child and they'll then convince you to register them! 2. There have been some changes to the format for our younger players this year, with the introduction of "Get into Rugby," aimed at kids aged 4-5 years (Walla Rugby) and 6-7 years (Try Time). Walla Rugby is non-contact and focuses on giving kids basic movement and rugby skills. Try Time is a two-handed touch version of the game. For confident 7-year-olds, they can still opt to play U8s mixed tackle. We believe this change is a great way to introduce kids to our game at an earlier age in an inclusive format that will help them develop the skills needed for what we hope will be a long rugby career. 3. We are very fortunate to have an experienced and motivated coaching line up for all age groups who are chomping at the bit to get stuck into the season. All coacheds are undertaking a 2 part training course this week and next which will give them the necessary skills to ensure your child has a great year. Statistics state that 80% of the reason a child comes back next year is because of the coach, hence why we are investing in our coaches to make our game and club continue to grow. 4. The season draw is yet to be formally released, however the first Gala Day is 4th May. We will have 6 training sessions to get ready for round 1, noting 2 weeks off for the Easter break 5. We have been invited to Yass Rugby Juniors to a pre-season Gala Day on Saturday 5th April. Likely age groups to get games will include U10 mixed tackle, U12 mixed tackle, U14 boys tackle, U16 boys tackle, U16 girls tackle and various ages of Tri Tag (nothing confirmed yet for U14 girls tackle). This is a great opportunity for teams to have a hit out before the season starts. More information to come here as the date approaches, but please block the date out as we need to support Yass in their vision to create a regular pre-season Gala Day 6. We are entering an U16 boys tackle team this year for the first time in many years, it's a reward for our club off the back of years of hard work by many to now have a pathway for the boys. Working towards an U18's next year.... 7. There is always uncertainty about whether we will field a team in each age group at this time of the year. Our advice is remain positive, register and talk it up - in other words, build it and they will come. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday. NIP NIP! The draw for the 2025 Junior Southern Inland Rugby Union season has been released: Round 1: May 4 - Griffith Round 2: May 18 - Wagga Round 3: June 1 - Cootamundra and Leeton Round 4: June 15 - Albury Round 5: June 29 - Temora and Young Round 6: July 6 - Temora and Young Round 7: July 27 - West Wyalong and Harden Round 8: August 10 - Tumut and Hay Round 9: August 24 - Cootamundra and Leeton Semi Finals: September 7 - Leeton* Grand Finals: September 14 - Hay* * Finals locations are subject to change.
