North Newcastle BlueBags are proud to announce Tony Delany as our Coach for the 2018 season. The club is in great hands with the strategies and program that will be put in place by Tony for the upcoming season. Kick off cant come quick enough. Congradulations from everyone here at the North Newcastle Bluebags. Well done Tony.
50th reunion of the team that changed the rules! Northern Suburbs beat Western Suburbs in the 1967 Newcastle First Grade Grand Final 13-11. Unfortunately we have lost Doug “Cowboy” Ellis, Don “Crazy Horse” Newton, Doug McManus, Ray Hunter and Bill “Bags” Owen. Les Perry, Brian Askie, Ray Butler and Colin Ball we unavailable for the reunion. L-R Bill “Horse” Mattingley, Dennis “Keg Head” Maddison, Jack “Croaker” Gill, Karl Hutchinson, Denis “Captain Blood” Nichols and Allan Jones. Thanks to Colleen Hutchinson
North Newcastle will have three representatives at next month’s World Cup after Caitlin Moran, Isabelle Kelly and Bec Young were named in the 24-player Jillaroos squad on Sunday.
Moran and Kelly will take part in their first World Cup tournaments while dual international Young returns to help Australia’s women’s rugby league team defend their breakthrough title.
Young wore the green and gold in England four years ago but after missing the 17 for the final victory she wants to try and make amends on home soil.
NEW: North Newcastle utility back Isabelle Kelly. Picture: NRL
“To be selected in the 24, especially at my age thinking I don’t know how I’ll go here, I’m really happy,” the 35-year-old mother-of-two said.
“He [Jillaroos coach Brad Donald] knows how hard I’ve worked and what it means to me to be there.
“And I’ve talked on many occasions in front of the girls about my disappointment at the last World Cup, playing every round game and not being selected to play in the actual final.
“It made me realise and learn about team dynamics and how to react in that situation and building character.
“It took me a little while to get over, but I’ve got that fire still in my belly so I’ll be pushing for the 17 definitely.”
RETURN: This will be Bec Young’s second straight World Cup. Picture: NRL
Young is one of a handful who played in the competition last time around while Moran and Kelly are two of 15 World Cup debutantes.
The Blues trio missed last month’s Jillaroos match in Papua New Guinea because of North Newcastle’s run to the NSW Women’s Premiership grand final, but they played together for Australia in the Anzac Test.
Personal training programs start on Monday with weekend gatherings scheduled in Sydney the rest of this month before going into camp early November.
Australia open with Cook Islands on November 16.
All round games and both semis are scheduled for Shark Park in Cronulla. The final is at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium before the men’s decider on December 2.
Meanwhile, North Newcastle’s 2017 award winners were announced at the club’s presentation at Carrington Bowling Club on Saturday night with Holly Wheeler voted players’ player. Other prizes went to Amy Broadhead (best back), Jerry Burgmann (best forward), Alicia Martin (rookie), Skye Lovett (coaches) and Moran (representative).
FIXTURES: November 16 v Cook Islands (4pm); November 19 v England (1:45pm); November 22 v Canada (4pm); November 26 semi-finals; December 2 final (3:45pm).
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4973189/north-newcastle-trio-into-world-cup/?cs=306
Many congratulations to all our Players who received awards at our Presentation last night at Carrington Bowling Club.
Best Back – Brent Steggall
Best Forward – Connor Lynch
Most Improved – Kenneth Harding
Most Trys – Ty Hopley
Players Player – Luke Fisher
Best Clubman – Justin McManus
Best Back – Amy Broadhead
Best Forward – Jerry Burgmann
Players Player – Holli Wheeler
Rookie of the Year – Alicia Martin
Coaches Award – Skye Lovett
Representative Player – Caitlin Moran
Best Player on Grand Final Day – Kylie Hilder
With the mighty North Newcastle Bluebags Presentation only a few hours away,we would like to wish all our players in both the mens and women’s teams vying for the awards the best of luck. Congratulations to those who will etch their names in the North Newcastle Bluebags folklore.
PLEASE SHARE TO PASS THE WORD AROUND.
.
Dont forget, we are backing up in BlueBag fashion with our Reunion, the next day after our Presentation.
.
See photo below with details.
.
EVERYBODY IS WELCOME.
.
DONT FORGET : All memberships are also fue this day.
North Newcastle may have fallen short against a clinical Redfern All Blacks side in the grand final, but Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Player of the Year Caitlin Moran still has plenty to crow about after her stellar 2017 campaign.
Moran capped off a brilliant individual season after she was crowned the best player in the world at the Brad Fittler Medal Awards night two weeks ago but was unable to steer her side to victory after going down to Redfern 26-16 on Sunday afternoon.
Although in with a fighting chance before kick-off, North Newcastle were unable to maintain their strong start after conceding four first-half tries which Moran puts down to inexperience against a well-drilled side.
“I think we started a bit out of the blocks and we were in the game in the first ten minutes, but I think nerves [crept in] – we have a new few girls and it’s our first year together,” she told NSWRL.com.au
“Redfern are a very developed team now, they have been together for a while so all credit to Redfern and how they played and the coaching staff.
“What we can take away with that is a bit of experience and bit more structure to be more calm.”
After being part of the victorious NSW side that trounced Queensland Womens 22-6 earlier this year, Moran was brimming with confidence and primed for a strong finish to the season with North Newcastle.
Despite losing their opening two fixtures and conceding nearly 100 points in the process, Moran sparked her side with a purple patch of form that saw them just lose two more games for the rest of the season.
She finished third on competition point-scoring tally while also showing her class in a host of representative teams, but says her combination with fellow Jillaroo stars Isabelle Kelly and Rebecca Young played a significant role in their journey to the Grand Final.
“I’ve had a massive season with football personally; it started with Auckland Nines and the Indigenous All Stars win and the Test Match win and then with NSW for the second time down in Queensland,” she said.
“Having Izzy [Isabelle Kelly] and Bec [Rebecca Young] in each of those tournaments with me, I think it builds the Newcastle team.
“Me personally I have the World Cup year, so I’m just trying to play the best footy I can and try not to get broken out there.”
Moran’s long list of 2017 representative honours started in February where she was part a star-studded Jillaroos outfit who won their first Auckland Nines Series with a clean sweep of victories, before leading the Indigenous All Stars to their first ever win just one week later.
She went onto to help NSW claim their second series win in a row halfway through 2017 but now has her sights set on the Rugby League World Cup and is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“It’s going to be massive over the next few weeks – footy season is definitely not over,” she said.
“I’ve got to try and enjoy the week I have off, then straight back into training and into lock down.
“It actually steps up a notch now with all the club stuff over and now all the days I’m usually at club training it’s back to personal training.
“But like I said I got the likes of Bec Young and Isabelle living around me so we’re carrying each other and pushing each other towards the World Cup.”
http://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2017/09/26/moran_flying_high_de.html
THREE tries in the last seven minutes allowed North Newcastle to save face but not the game as Redfern All Blacks won the NSW women’s rugby league grand 26-16 at Leichhardt Oval.
Redfern scored four tries in the first half, and North were fortunate that wayward goalkicking from hooker Chloe Leupepe meant they were facing only a 16-0 deficit at the break.
As the game entered the last 10 minutes, the scoreline read 26-0 to the Sydney team, but North rallied with tries by Kylie Hilder (73rd minute), Holli Wheeler (77th) and Isabelle Kelly (79th) to salvage some pride.
In their first season under the North Newcastle banner – after previous incarnations as Maitland and the Hunter Stars – the Bluebags finished fourth and survived three sudden-death play-offs to reach the decider.
Centres Taleena Simon and Karri Doyle both scored first-half doubles for Redfern.
All Blacks 26 (T Simon 2, K Doyle 2, N Davis-Welsh, C Leupepe tries; Leaupepe goal) North Newcastle 16 (K Hilder, H Wheeler, I Kelly tries; C Moran 2 goals).
AAP reports: Australia’s women’s rugby league team thumped Papua New Guinea 42-4 in their historic clash in Port Moresby on Saturday.
The match was the first Test between the two nations, with the PNG Orchids forming for this year’s World Cup.
Split into four quarters because of the oppressive heat and humidity, the match was dominated by the Jillaroos, who proved far too professional for the gutsy Orchids in what was also the first women’s Test match in the country.
Co-captains Renae Kunst and Steph Hancock led from the front for Australia with three tries between them in the first half as the visitors took a commanding 30-0 lead into the break.
After a physical start, outside back Corban McGregor opened the scoring after seven minutes with a try that Chelsea Baker failed to convert.
Kody House went over in the corner in the 33rd minute after replacing debutant winger Jessica Sergis, who had come from the field due to heat stress.
Fellow debutant Talesha Quinn scored her first try for the Jillaroos just before the halftime break.
Tries to Meg Ward and Sergis soon after the break were both converted by Baker, who finished with a haul of ten points from her five successful kicks.
The packed crowd roared when rampaging prop Maima Wei scored the first ever try for the Orchids late in the game.
Jillaroos coach Brad Donald hailed Hancock’s performance after she had been left out of the side for the Anzac Test against New Zealand in May.
“For her to come back the way that she did … I’m extremely proud of her,” he said.
Donald praised the Orchids for their relentless defence.
Orchids coach Dennis Miall was happy his team were able to test themselves against the No. 1-ranked Jillaroos.
“We’re proud of what our girls did today,” he said.