Dear NSJRU U10+ players & supporters
Academy
Thank you to everyone who participated in our 5 week Academy program. We hope all players enhanced their rugby skillset. We very much appreciate Mike Cross, TryTime Rugby & the Norths Juniors committee for all the work they put in to organise the Academy. Mike arranged guest appearances by Zak Beer (Norths Seniors 1st grade coach), Hugh Sinclair (Cowra, Norths Seniors & Waratahs), Paul Cividian (NSW & AU U16 coach), Seth Stoltenberg (Norths Colts coach & General Manager, Norths Seniors) & Jack Bowen (former Norths Junior & Waratahs), plus we met Henry O’Donnell & Dan Botha (also former Norths Juniors & Waratahs). Key messages – eat well, train hard, play & support your mates on & off the field, build your skills, play to strengths, develop whole game, develop good habits & repeat those, stay committed, rugby development pathway – Village Club, Juniors, Colts, Seniors, Waratahs, Wallabies. Thank you to Drummoyne, Hunters Hill & Mosman for hosting our Academy & Speed Programs at your ovals. Norths Pirates would have done so as well.
Speed Program
Speed is the rate at which an athlete covers a distance. Sprint speed in sports is one of the most sought after commodities. Thank you to those in U13s and above who participated in the 3 sessions Speed program led by Roger Fabri Speed Academy.
Representative (Reps) – Expression of Interest (EOI)
Mike Cross commented with such a great turnout and effort put in by our players at our Academy, we are excited for the upcoming Reps season and the depth of talent we have to choose from in 2025. All players are encouraged to trial whether they have played Reps before or not and whether or not they attended the Academy & Speed Program. Norths Juniors use independent selectors to select players for their Rep teams.
Reps is available to all players U10 to U18s playing for one of our 4 Village clubs – Drummoyne, Hunters Hill, Mosman, Norths Pirates.
Players trial for the age group they are turning in the calendar year. eg if turning 13 in 2025, trial for U13s.
To be eligible to represent the Northern Suburbs District, a player must have played a minimum of 4 games for their Club prior to the State Champs. Further, the player should continue to play for their Club for the remainder of the season following State Champs, otherwise their club team/Club may be penalised.
- Please fill in the Expression of Interest (EOI) form to trial for Reps by clicking on the link below. Registrations will close at 6pm on Wednesday, 2 April 2025.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRyJa_2bS1hSNodv_ zdGEmD-ldvEXwd-SJOpBste6WjK- uzQ/viewform
- Please join the NSJRU Reps 2025 Whats App chat group which is our prime source of communication https://chat.whatsapp.com/
JhWXuUmGOLMAjgxMwBOvDu
Reps – Dates
- U12s, U13s, U14s and U15s – first trial on Sunday 6 April 2025 at Boronia Park, Hunters Hill. U12s & U13s trial 3pm to 4.15pm and U14s & U15s trial 4.30pm to 6.15pm.
- U13s, U14s, U15s – 2nd trial on Monday 28 April 2025 (school holidays) at Taplin Park, Drummoyne. U13s trial 3pm to 4.15pm. U14s trial 4.15pm to 5.30pm. U15s trial 5.30pm to 6.45pm.
- U10s to U18s – trials on Sunday, 4 May 2025 at Balmoral Oval, Balmoral. Times will be confirmed once the SJRU club rugby draw comes out.
- Following 4 May 2025, we aim to announce Rep teams for the U12s and above.
- Where selections are still to be determined for an age group, we will host another trial on Sunday, 11 May 2025 (Mother’s Day) at Balmoral Oval, Balmoral.
- U12s-U18s – Training will be each Sunday leading up to the State Cup which is held on the June long weekend 7-9 June 2025.
- U10s & U11s will trial and train each Sunday from 4 May 2025, with selections for these age groups finalised end of May 2025 ahead of their State Gala on 19-20 July 2025.
- Training for all age groups will include the annual 4 Way Gala at Boronia Park. Dates & timings will be confirmed in due course.
- Wednesday 4 June 2025 – U12-U18s – jersey presentation at 7pm at Norths Cammeray.
- June long weekend 7-9 June 2025 State Cup – U12s Taree, U13s Orange, U14s Dubbo, U15s Maitland, U16s Granville, U18s Concord. Note accommodation has been reserved for regional areas for players & supporters.
- Saturday 28 June 2005 – U10s & U11s – jersey presentation at North Sydney Oval ahead of the Shute Shield 1st grade game – Norths Seniors v Gordon.
- Training for U10s & U11s will continue up to State Galas which is held 19-20 July 2025 (the last weekend of the school holidays). U10s play at Parramatta. U11s play in Mudgee. Accomodation has been reserved in Mudgee for players & supporters.
- For more information on the Representative pathways, please refer to NSW Junior Rugby Union website https://www.nswjuniors.com.au/
Sponsors
Grassroots rugby relies on the generosity of local businesses. This season, we are privileged to have our major sponsor – Our Sage (telehealth consultants), along with Sydney Slice, Motus Transport, Estilo Travel and Norths Collective. We are also proud to promote the incredible community work of Touched by Olivia (creating inclusive playspaces).
Remember the Mouthguard offer we mentioned previously via Our Sage/Our Medical Dental. Our Medical is open Monday to Saturday at 13-19 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest. Book an appointment online https://bit.ly/41ayiXa or phone the clinic on 02 9067 4444.
Waratahs
We are sure many Norths Juniors were at Allianz Stadium last weekend supporting the Waratahs including Norths Seniors Henry O’Donnell (former Norths Junior), Hugh Sinclair, Siosifa Amone, Felix Kalapu. Hugh Sinclair is captaining the Tahs this weekend in Brisbane v the Reds.
Any Qs
If you have any questions, please contact myself, one of the NSJRU Committee members or your Village Club President (Drummoyne, Hunters Hill, Mosman, Norths Pirates).
Go Northies.
Cheers
Nathan Davis
President
Northern Suburbs Junior Rugby Union
Dear NSJRU U10+ players & supporters
Thank you to the 200 players that have registered for our Academy that commences this Sunday at Taplin Park, Drummoyne. We are looking forward to seeing you all. If you havent registered yet, please do so ASAP – Academy plus add-on Speed Program if U13 & above https://www.trybooking.com/CYGCZ
We will be focussed on getting our players ready for the season ahead with skills and drills sessions combined with some rugby fitness.
Academy
Academy is open to all players in U10s & above from our village clubs (Drummoyne, Hunters Hill, Mosman and Norths Pirates) no matter your experience or skill levels. Whether you are playing rugby to have fun with your mates or aspiring to make representative honours, we welcome all players to our Academy program.
The program will be run by Mike Cross and his Try Time Rugby coaches.
The skills and techniques passed on at Academy will help improve your rugby for the season ahead.
U10s, U11s and U12s – train from 3pm to 4:15pm.
U13s, U14s, U15s, U16s – train from 4:30pm on 2 Feb, 16 Feb and 2 Mar until 6pm and 4:45pm on 9 Feb and 23 Feb until 6:15pm.
The cost per player is $125 for the 5 week program. The first 250 players to register will also receive complimentary Academy kit – including a training top.
Speed Program – U13s & above
For the U13 and above age groups, there is also the option of adding in 3 sprint sessions with Roger Fabri and his Roger Fabri Speed Academy team of coaches.
The sprint sessions will be held fortnightly at 4pm on 9 and 23 Feb and 9 Mar for 45 minutes prior to the start of the Academy session. The cost for this is $100.
If you are considering adding this program to the Academy program, please understand there is an expectation that players practice the skills and drills they have learnt at each session at least a couple of times before the next session. If they aren’t able to put in the extras between sessions this additional program may not be for them.
Venue
Venue locations for each week will be confirmed each week. We will try and move Academy around as much as possible between the clubs, however we are limited by access to fields.
Register with your Village Club first
All players attending Academy must be registered with their club prior to attending our first session on 2 Feb – this ensures all players are insured.
WhatsApp group
Please ensure you have joined the NSJRU Academy updates WhatsApp chat group https://chat.whatsapp.com/GaEbOnUjq9cGII7oH3vtYL
We will provide updates on training times and venue changes due to weather, etc in this group.
Any Qs
If you have any questions re Academy 2025, please contact myself, one of the NSJRU Committee members or your Village Club President.
We look forward to welcoming as many players as possible across our village clubs to NSJRU Academy 2025 starting this Sunday.
Cheers
Nathan Davis
President
Northern Suburbs Junior Rugby Union
Dear Parents and Players,
I am excited to confirm that Norths Juniors will be hosting its inaugural Sunday Sessions on 17 & 24 November 2024 for all our village clubs’ current U12 and up players.
Our Coaching Director, Mike Cross, from Try Time Rugby will be overseeing our Sunday Sessions to make sure our players are given every opportunity to improve their skills and fitness during the off-season.
Further to this, we are excited to announce we have secured the services of Roger Fabri from Roger Fabri Speed Academy (https://www.speedacademy.com.au/roger-bio/) for these sessions. Roger and his team will work with Crossy and his coaches to teach our players running technique along with skills and drills to help them improve their speed and agility over summer.
On both weekends, the U12s and U13s will train from 3:00pm to 4:30pm and our U14s, U15s and above will train from 4:30pm to 6pm.
The first session on the 17th November will take place at Balmoral Oval, Mosman.
The second session on the 24th November will take place at Taplin Park, Drummoyne.
During these sessions players will be given skills and fitness coaching to help them with their own personal offseason training.
Skills such as catch pass, kicking, lineout throwing and many more will be broken down so that players can work on them in their own time.
Furthermore, running technique and fitness testing will also be explained so players can further understand what they should be focusing on to be successful in 2025.
Along with technical coaching at each session, attendees will also learn training drills to undertake in their own time during the offseason to help them develop their skills and fitness.
With each session being provided free of charge we are excited to have as many players as possible join us for our inaugural Sunday Sessions on 17 and 24 November.
We ask that players respect this program and make every effort to attend both sessions to get the most out of it. Our intention is to give players the tools to help them improve over the off-season so that when they turn up to Academy in February 2025 they have had the opportunity to prepare and be the best they can be.
Please register at the below link. Registrations will close at 6pm on Friday 8 November 2024.
Once you have registered your player, please make sure to join the below WhatsApp chat group so we can provide you timely updates on the Sunday Session program and quickly advise of any changes due to wet weather, etc: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HSPlyYTktYc88AbuiPP4nw
We look forward to welcoming as many village club players as possible to our inaugural Sunday Sessions kicking off on Sunday 17 November.
The sessions are free so sign up to learn some new skills, drills and techniques to practice over the offseason.
Cheers,
Nathan
NSJRU President
Norths Juniors celebrated end of season presentation on 20 Oct-24 at The Greens, North Sydney. Thank you to everyone involved in grassroots rugby – players, supporters, coaches, managers, officials, volunteers, sponsors, committee, Norths Colts & Seniors. Go Northies.
AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2024
| FIFTEENS | ||
| Team | Trophy | Name |
| U10 Red XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Kingston Davis |
| U10 Red XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Jax Ashcroft |
| U10 Red XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Oscar Harris |
| U10 Black XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Archie Manns |
| U10 Black XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Theo Sheridan |
| U10 Black XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Timothy Finnis |
| U11 Red XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Bertie Owens |
| U11 Red XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Brax Wilcox |
| U11 Red XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Conrad Barbour |
| U11 Black XVs | Best & Fairest Back | William Hawkins |
| U11 Black XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Billy Balantyne |
| U11 Black XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Joe Capelin |
| U12 XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Leon Walsh |
| U12 XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Salvador Apfel |
| U12 XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Hudson McKenzie |
| U13 XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Matthew Wallace |
| U13 XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Sam Diddams |
| U13 XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Joshua Bignold |
| U14 XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Cooper Glanville |
| U14 XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Saxon Smith |
| U14 XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Angus Brooks |
| U15 XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Eddie Garcia-Wood |
| U15 XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Ben Barretto |
| U15 XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Billy O’Hara |
| U18 XVs | Best & Fairest Back | Ollie Crowther |
| U18 XVs | Best & Fairest Forward | Finnlay Bartlett |
| U18 XVs | Spirit of Rugby | Bailey Yu |
| SEVENS | ||
| Team | Trophy | Name |
| U11 7s | Best & Fairest | Jem Gyau-Awuah |
| U11 7s | Spirit of Rugby | Arthur Mutsaers |
| U13 7s | Best & Fairest | Luke Bulfin |
| U13 7s | Spirit of Rugby | Jack Kelaher |
Dear Parents and Players,
Confirming our first training session for 7s for the U11s, U13s, U15s and U17s will take place on Sunday afternoon 25th August. (Venue and times TBC.)
We understand that some players may be unavailable as they complete their club commitments in finals and so we will continue to run further training and trial sessions in the following weeks. With 7s being a completely different game to XVs our coaches and selectors will combine trials and training so that players become familiar with the different aspects of this form of the game. Over the sessions the coaches will look to finalise squads for Forster so we encourage players to get to as many sessions as possible to learn about how to play 7s rugby and show their skills before the final teams are announced.
If you are interested in trialling, please complete the EOI form below:
And please join the NSJRU Reps WhatsApp chat for further information on times and locations for training/trials: https://chat.whatsapp.com/
Cheers,
Nathan
NSJRU President
Hi guys,
Just following up from my message a few days ago. I can confirm that *Norths Juniors are now getting ready to start trials for the upcoming NSW Junior Rugby 7s State Championships for U11s, U13s, U15s and U17s being played in Forster*.
The State Champs is another great tournament for our players to be a part of with plenty of opportunities for higher honours through the NSW Reps pathways for those in the older age groups.
The *U11s and U13s will play from 12pm on Saturday 28th September through to Monday afternoon 30th September*. The *U15s and U17s will play from 12pm on Friday 11th October through to Sunday afternoon 13th October*.
With 7s age groups at the State Champs running every second year, *U10 players can trial for U11s, U12 players can trial for U13s, U14 players can trial for U15s and U16 players can trial for U17s*.
If your child is interested in playing at the 7s State Champs, *please complete the EOI form below*:
Trials will start in a few weeks’ time once the final round games for the SJRU XVs comp has wrapped up.
We will *update trial dates and training schedules on the NSJRU Reps WhatsApp chat*. If you aren’t a member of it, please join today. https://chat.whatsapp.com/
We look forward to welcoming your child to 7s in the coming weeks.
Cheers,
Nathan
NSJRU President
Dear Parents and Players,
*NSW State Champs and Gala Weekends Overview*
After a busy couple of months of State Gala Days and State Championships for our U10s through to our U18s I wanted to update you all on Norths Juniors and what we have achieved this season, what we have coming up over the next couple of months and remind you to lock in Sunday 3:30pm on October 20 at The Greens North Sydney for our End of Season Presentation.
There is plenty to update you on, so please bear with me.
The U10s Red and Black teams travelled to Riverwood for a weekend of rugby – with each team playing 6 games across the Saturday and Sunday of the last weekend of the July school holidays. The rugby was very competitive and our players did the District proud, giving their all in their first season wearing the Red and Black of Norths Juniors. A big thank you to Jack Upton, Pete Griffiths, Will Perkins, Charlie Durham, Nick Timmins, Erin Denny and Georgina Barnett for all your efforts with our players (and parents) over the weekend.
The U11s Red and Black teams travelled to Mudgee for a weekend away this same July weekend. While the footy was tough, our players had a blast playing against teams from all over NSW. For those in older age groups, I am sure you remember the fun of travelling away with the players and parents from different village clubs within the District for your first rep “tour” and building bonds that last for seasons ahead as rep teammates continue to play with and against each other at club and school for years to come. Thank you to David Stenning, Mark Owens, Nick Boyle, Dom McGeekie, Charles Huntington, David Ballantyne, Katrina Courtenay and Michelle Lee for making the weekend so memorable for the players and their parents.
Our U12s had a tough start to their first ever NSW State Champs with the competition postponed over the June LWE due to the pouring rain that saw Camden’s fields flooded… the rescheduled date, to the first weekend of the school holidays, meant we lost a third of our starting team to conflicts with pre-booked holidays. While this left many young players gutted that they had missed a chance to play for Norths, it also meant half a dozen new players got to represent Norths Juniors at the State Champs. The players tried hard and scored a few solid wins to secure 10th place over the weekend. Thank you to Ben Furby, Will Nicholl, JP Bae, David Stenning, Ben Richards, Sallie Watt and Jess Apfel for all working together to make the weekend a memorable experience for our U12 players and their parents.
Our U13s team travelled to Orange and were constantly coming up against some much bigger opposition throughout their tournament but despite giving away some serious weight difference in the scrums and at the breakdown, all our players kept putting in and giving their best. A few close results went against the team and they ended up finishing 15th for the weekend. Thank you to Scott Dalibozek, Mark Muncaster, Justin Diddams and Katrina Courtenay for all your efforts with the players (and parents) over the weekend.
Our U14s had a strong tournament in Dubbo. Despite losing three players to injury prior to the first ball being kicked and being one of the smaller teams in the competition, the players put in over the whole long weekend and punched well above their weight. Despite some tough losses on Day 1, the players kept turning up and by the end of Day 2, they had played themselves into the Semi-finals of the State Champs. With only 17 seconds to go in the semi, the opposition unfortunately scored a try to take the win 7-3 to see our team relegated to the 3 v 4 play-off. A tough play-off game saw the players secure another impressive 4th placing at the State Champs – their third year in a row. Thanks to Ben Molloy, Will Perkins, Cameron Douglass and Justine Perkins for all their efforts over the weekend.
Our U15s travelled to Maitland this year to defend their State Championship from last year. After the first 2 days, our players secured a spot in the Sydney Cup and were keen to go one better than last year and win it. The boys put in a big effort but lost a close fought match to Warringah 8-5. The boys shook off the disappointment of the Sydney Cup final and played their way into the State Championships GF against Two Blues. It was another very closely fought game and the team was desperately unlucky to go down 7-5. To lose both finals by only a kick is a testament to the quality of the team. The players represented the Red and the Black of Norths Juniors superbly and were once again the best performing squad for our District at this year’s State Champs. As always, the players were well supported by their parents. A huge thank you to Gus Spence, Ed Abbott, Alf Garcia-Bennett and Liam and Peta O’Hara.
This year we entered our first U18s team made up of former Norths Juniors players, Norths Colts players and players from all over Sydney, the Central Coast and the Central West. The team played at Concord over the June LWE. After some tough early matches, our players got into their rhythm and ended making the Plate Semi-Final before finishing a strong 11th for the State Champs. A big thank you to Toby Barbour, Kosie Kotze and Ben O’Rourke for bringing this team together and getting them to gel so quickly and represent the Red and Black of Norths Juniors.
On behalf of all the NSJRU Exec Committee I would like to congratulate all the players and parents, coaches, assistants, trainers and managers for helping make this our biggest year for Norths Juniors to date.
We would also like to extend our congratulations to all those players who were selected for higher representative honours. The below players were selected to trial for Sydney:
*U14s*
Jack Corbett
Cooper Glanville
Edward Mitchell
*U15s*
Ben Barretto
Henry Baxter
Makoto Chapman
Julian Minto
Sinclair Lyne
Tom Symons
Harry Adamo
Finn Hannon
Archie Hartman
Eddie Garcia-Wood
Jeremiah Beale-Norris
Billy O’Hara
Sam Bull
James Bousie
*U18s*
Taj Mailei
Callum Bush Brady
Lucas Harding
And further congratulations to Jack (U14s), Henry, Tom, Harry, Finn, Julian, Archie, Eddie, Ben, Jeremiah, Sinclair, Makoto (U15s) and Taj (U18s) for making the SJRU Sydney teams that played in Bathurst against Country last weekend.
We wish you all the best for your upcoming Gen Blue trials.
*NSW 7s State Champs 2024 at Forster*
I am excited to announce that we have entered teams into the NSW 7s State Championships in Forster in late September/early October and we will start trialling for these teams in a few weeks’ time.
We have registered teams in the U11 Boys, U13 Boys, U15 Boys and U17 Boys State Champs. The U11s and U13s play on the 28-30 September and the U15s and U17s play on the 11-13 October.
This tournament presents some great pathways to future 7s honours with NSW and beyond.
If anyone wants any further information, feel free to email me or stay on our 2024 Rep Chat for further updates over the coming weeks. https://chat.whatsapp.com/
*End of Season Presentation – 20th Oct*
Thank you to everyone for your support of our representative program for the first 6 months of 2024. We still have plenty of rugby to go over the next couple of months plus we have our Norths Juniors’ *End of Season Presentation on Sunday afternoon, 20th October @ 3:30pm at The Greens* – please keep this afternoon free to catch up with players and parents from this year’s reps where we can all come together to celebrate the success of season 2024.
In the meantime, on behalf of the NSJRU committee, we look forward to crossing paths on the sidelines in the coming weeks as the SJRU XVs competition comes to an end and the Frosty 7s competition for girls kicks off.
Cheers,
Nathan
President – NSJRU
Thank you to all those players that participated in trial 1 last Sunday. Weather dependent, the second trial is Sunday, 5 May 2024, same times and location. Please ensure you have joined our WhatsApp group to receive up to date information, especially should wet weather result in ground closure / changes or trial(s) being postponed. https://chat.whatsapp.com/
Details for Trial 2 on Sunday, 5 May 2024:
- All trials will be held at Balmoral Oval, 42 Plunkett Road, Balmoral.
- U10 & U11 – 3.30pm to 4.30pm
- U12 & U13 – 4.45pm to 5.45pm
- U14 & U15 – 6.00pm to 7.00pm
- All players to arrive at least 20 mins prior to start time to sign in and be allocated a jersey & trial team
- Please bring mouthguards, boots, water bottle, headgear if worn and a great attitude
- Any issues with player availability, please email Ben Richards, Vice President vp@nsjru.com.au
- We encourage our juniors to trial their best
Return trial jerseys
Thank you to those parents that were kind enough to take a set (or two) of jerseys home to wash following trial 1. Would you please email Sallie Watt, secretary@nsjru.com.au to confirm the age group and jerseys you have so that we can ensure we have all the jerseys back for our next trial. If any player accidentally took a trial jersey home, please also let Sallie know.
Possible Trial 3 & extended squad
We were impressed with the number of expressions of interest and skill of players and we may need a 3rd trial. We will communicate this following trial 2. In the older age groups, there may be an extended squad beyond the 23 players selected for State Champs to cover for the potential for injury between now and the June long weekend.
State Cup dates
NSW State Cup for U12-U18s is June long weekend 8-10 June 2024
NSW State Gala for U10-11s is 20 & 21 July 2024
Remember
Players are required to play a minimum of 4 club games over 4 separate SJRU rounds to be eligible for participation in Representative rugby and must commit to play for their club for the whole season. Failure to do so, representative status will be removed.
Thank you for expressing an interest for player(s) to trial for representative selection to NSJRU XVs team to play NSW State Cup in 2024. The first trial is Sunday, 28 April 2024, followed by a second trial on Sunday, 5 May 2024.
Details for Trial 1 on Sunday, 28 April 2024:
- All trials will be held at Balmoral Oval, 42 Plunkett Road, Balmoral.
- U10 & U11 – 3.30pm to 4.30pm
- U12 & U13 – 4.45pm to 5.45pm
- U14 & U15 – 6.00pm to 7.00pm
- U16 – 3.00pm to 4.00pm
- All players to arrive at least 20 mins prior to start time to sign in and be allocated a jersey & trial team
- Please bring mouthguards, boots, water bottle, headgear if worn and a great attitude
- Any issues with player availability, please email Ben Richards, Vice President vp@nsjru.com.au
- We encourage our juniors to trial their best
NSW State Cup for U12-U18s is June long weekend 8-10 June 2024
NSW State Gala for U10-11s is 20 & 21 July 2024
Players are required to play a minimum of 4 club games over 4 separate SJRU rounds to be eligible for participation in Representative rugby and must commit to play for their club for the whole season. Failure to do so, representative status will be removed.