The Sharks and the Newtown Jets continue their NSW Cup partnership into 2016 with the Jets getting their new campaign underway with pre-season training commencing this week.
The second year of the Jets’ alliance with the Sharks and the 1908 Foundation Club is determined to set high standards for the new season.
Greg Matterson takes the reins for his ninth season as Head Coach with Newtown and has made it clear that the players will be put through a thoroughly-planned and productive pre-season program as they prepare for 2016.
The club has been active in the players market in recent weeks and there are a number of new (and returning) faces in the Jets’ pre-season squad who reported for duty at Newtown’s Marrickville gymnasium on Monday afternoon.
Matterson and his colleagues in the Jets coaching group are in regular contact with the Cronulla Sharks staff, with the Jets said to be more than pleased with the off-season signings made by their NRL partners. The Jets coach is confident that the combination of the Newtown signings and retentions, plus the new player acquisitions made by the Sharks, will provide the basis for a competitive NSW Cup squad for 2016.
These players have already signed or are likely to sign with the Newtown RLFC for 2016:
Brett Anderson (ex-St George-Illawarra NYC and Illawarra Cutters NSW Cup); Daniel Abou-Sleiman (played with Newtown in 2015 and recently with Lebanon in Rugby League 2017 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa); Kurt Dillon (Sharks juniors and NYC, played with Newtown in 2015); Tarek El Masri (played with Newtown in 2015 and with Lebanon against South Africa); Matt Evans (played with Newtown in 2014 and had a shoulder reconstruction in 2015); Malakai Houma (played with Newtown in 2015); Ben Jones (with Newtown previously, Mackay Cutters in 2015); Kurt Kara (heading into his sixth season with the Jets); Corin Smith (played with Newtown in 2015, scoring four tries against North Sydney in last year’s Reunion Day game); Levy Sopi (ex-Cronulla Sharks NYC); Arana Taumata (returning to Newtown after stints at Tumut as captain-coach and with South Newcastle); Tevita Vaea (ex-New Zealand Warriors).
Updates to this list will be supplied in upcoming website articles concerning the Newtown Jets.
Also: Newtown Jets membership packages for 2016 will be made available for sale very soon. 2015 members will be contacted by email in the near future. They ask members to favourably consider renewing memberships for 2016 or taking out a club membership package and encouraging others to do so. The revenue from club memberships is becoming an increasingly important component of the income of so many Rugby League clubs, and this source of revenue is of vital importance to the ongoing survival of the Newtown RLFC.
And: The annual Newtown Festival is on this Sunday, 8th November 2015, at the Camperdown Memorial Rest Park from 9.30am to 6.00pm. This is a huge inner-western Sydney occasion and attracts in excess of 90,000 people. The Newtown Jets will have a clothing and merchandise stall there so be sure to call by and make some early Xmas gift choices. Jets merchandise can also be purchased online by going to the website at: www.newtownjetsclothing.com.au
VALE: The Newtown RLFC regrets to announce the recent passing of Steve Hanson, who played with Newtown in 1991. That was a year of some historical significance as it was Newtown’s comeback season in the NSWRL Metropolitan Cup competition.
Hanson played for North Sydney from 1985 to 1990, representing City Seconds in 1985 and NSW State of Origin in 1988. After his one year with Newtown, he played with Eastern Suburbs in 1992 and 1993. The Newtown RLFC extends sincere condolences to his family members.
