The St George Illawarra Dragons, in conjunction with the NRL, proudly held the Illawarra/South Coast Regional Rod Wishart and Paul McGregor Legends Final at Sid Parrish Park and Collegians Sporting Complex on Thursday.
The day saw 24 teams from primary schools across Helensburgh to Sussex Inlet participate in the two age divisions, with Gerringong Public School taking out the McGregor Division and Good Samaritan winning both the Wishart Girls and Boys Division.
"It is a culmination of nine regional days held throughout Term 1 and Term 2 which saw 189 teams participate across the region," said NRL Game Development Officer Matt O’Brien.
"The majority of teams played in the non – competitive division which allows students to play rugby league for the first time.
“Good Samaritan ran out winners of both the Wishart Girls and Boys division and will represent the Illawarra/South Coast region at the NSW Legends Finals in Sydney in August."
As part of the day, 10 new referees taking part in the NRL Beyond The Goal Post Program from Albion Park High School and Edmund Rice officiated matches on the day.
The aim of the Beyond The Goal Post Program is to link local high school students with the community and provide them with a pathway to become involved with different aspects of the game.
“The referees did an outstanding job,” said O'Brien.
“Our aim is convert the students into referees that can officiate at junior league matches, which would be a great boost to the area.”
