The best New South Wales Rugby League junior talent will converge on western Sydney on Saturday, September 20 to compete for the title of state champions across six age groups in the inaugural Immortals Challenge.
The Immortals Challenge sees winning teams from under-9s to under-14s divisions across NSW compete for trophies named after the best players in the game’s history. A total of 96 teams and more than 2000 players are expected to participate in the competition across 11 fields at Whalan Reserve, The Kingsway and St Marys Leagues Stadium.
Staged by the NSWRL in partnership with the NRL and CRL, teams will compete in a round-robin format for Immortals Challenge trophies, with pool winners progressing to the semi-finals. Teams will compete for the Andrew Johns Trophy (under-9s), the Graeme Langlands Trophy (under-10s), the Clive Churchill Trophy (under-11s), the Bob Fulton Trophy (under-12s), the Reg Gasnier Trophy (under-13s) and the Johnny Raper Trophy (under-14s). Grand finals will take place from 4pm at St Marys Leagues Stadium.
Event founder and rugby league Immortal Bob Fulton will be represented in the competition by his son Brett who coaches at the Beacon Hill club in the Manly district. Bob’s grandchildren, Jake (under-9s) and Kobe (under-11s), will also take to the field to battle for the trophies named in honour of the greatest players the game has seen.
NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden said the Immortals Challenge would give the best teams from each district a chance to excel and test themselves against other strong sides without losing sight of the enjoyment, teamwork and values that junior rugby league is all about.
“We’re really proud to be launching the Immortals Challenge in conjunction with the NRL and CRL – it provides NSW’s best junior sides with a great opportunity to showcase their skills and have fun at the same time too,” Trodden said.
“At the end of the tournament, six teams are going to be crowned Immortals Challenge age-group state champions and will be handed trophies named after some of the best players in rugby league history. Being presented a trophy named after Andrew Johns or Bob Fulton, for instance, is going to provide plenty of kids with memories that last a lifetime.”
The NSWRL would like to thank Blacktown City Council, St Marys Leagues Club and Rooty Hill JRLC for their assistance in staging such a large-scale event.
2014 IMMORTALS CHALLENGE
WHAT: Champion under-age teams from across NSW compete for Immortals trophies.
WHEN: Saturday, September 20, 2014, from 9am
WHERE: Whalan Reserve, The Kingsway St Marys and St Marys Leagues Stadium
