Raiders head north to preach from the league gospel
Peter Fitzgerald
Thursday, 2 February 2006
The NRL is enjoying its most incident-free beginning to a season in years and its community-minded reputation was further enhanced yesterday with the first of a three-day Community Carnival.
Canberra Raiders Clinton Schifcofske, Alan Tongue, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Nathan Smith, Kris Kahler and Alan Rothery travelled to the northern NSW township of Gunnedah - Australia's koala Capital - along with NRL chief executive David Gallop, to hold clinics and speak with school kids about playing elite rugby league.
Five to six players from each of the 15 clubs will spend the next two days in regional areas of NSW, Victoria and QLD in a bid to expand interest in the game in places starved of league action for the majority of the year.
The Raiders players will also travel to Curlewis, a small town near Gunnedah.
Tongue is from the region, having grown up in Tamworth, 45 minutes from Gunnedah.
He remembers playing junior matches in Gunnedah and said it was great to return to the grass roots areas to spread the NRL gospel.
"I think it's a really important aspect of the season and it's especially nice for me to be able to come back up here near the old stomping ground," Tongue said.
"I think also the fact David Gallop and a few other NRL people are here is a good sign they acknowledge the Group4 competition up here has been and will continue to be a good breeding ground for the NRL."
Tongue and his Canberra teammates flew to northern NSW yesterday morning and received a welcome from the town's mayor.
The six divided into two groups to attend schools and re-joined in the afternoon for a training clinic, before attending a trivia night last night.
Along the way Tongue stopped for a spot of road-side droving near a cattle property, while other players found themselves nursing koalas after the civic reception. Further school sessions today and a golf morning tomorrow conclude events.
"It's a little more relaxing than running around in the heat back home but it's also something that I'm a big believer in, getting around the country," Tongue said.
NRL boss Gallop praised the players for taking the time to travel and share their experiences and knowledge with children across the country.
"There's nothing like seeing the looks of kids faces when they meet the stars," he said. "Particularly when you see them react to home grown products [here in Gunnedah] like Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Alan Tongue."
