ARMIDALE’S Narwan Eels are set to take to the field tomorrow in the NSW Aboriginal rugby league knockout competition in Raymond Terrace.
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Club president Dennis Moran said the support of the newly formed Old Boys Club is a welcome edition to this year’s events.
“The club has seen lots of guys move away from Armidale with this year being the first year of the Old Boys,” he said.
“We want to bring the club back together and make the Narwan community stronger.”
Moran, who now resides in Parkes, said that he is looking forward to the team playing together this weekend.
“We have all split up over the years and it is great we are coming back together now and after the stress of organising it is very exciting for the boys to be back
on the field together,” he said.
The Narwan Eels have won the knockout competition in 1980, 1986, 2001, 2002 and 2008 and Moran said he is confident his side will do well in the three-day competition.
“We have a lot of the guys who were in the winning side in 2008 returning to the field this weekend and I am confident we will do well across the weekend,” he said.
The Narwen Eels side will see the likes of Armidale born Fred Waters, Dean Widders, Clarrie Moran and Michael Moran take to the field alongside Moran.
“We have some of the older players coming back but we also a lot of younger guys playing alongside us this year,” he said.
“For a lot of us we are getting older and we are really looking to these younger guys to take over for the future.”
The Narwan Eels rugby league club first took to the field in the 1970s and was formed by local Aboriginal elders and Moran said that the club strives to promote and support Aboriginal youth striving to live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
“Sport is a big driver in bridging many of the gaps within indigenous communities, we want to establish a mentoring program not only for Armidale, but for all communities across NSW,” he said.
