St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor and skipper Gareth Widdop were on hand at Glen Willow Stadium, Mudgee on Friday afternoon with their South Sydney counterparts and representatives from Westfund ahead of the 2018 Charity Shield.
Westfund – as naming rights partner of the Charity Shield for the next two seasons – have contributed to the spirit of the 35th edition of the annual pre-season game by donating a number of match passes to Barnardos, Mudgee.
Barnardos provides community support and child advocacy programs focussed on providing educational, health and social and emotional wellbeing for children and younger people.
Westfund partnered with Charity Shield organisers this year to bring the highly-anticipated match to Mudgee as an extension of their ongoing partnership with the Dragons.
The entire Dragons squad have visited 16 schools across nine Central West towns throughout the week, while on Friday, Dragons trio Zac Lomax, Matt Dufty and Tariq Sims visited patients at Mudgee Public Hospital.
Westfund New South Wales State Manager David Chapman was thrilled to continue their support of regional communities.
"We recognise that sport and teamwork are at the very heart of our regional communities. By supporting the Charity Shield, we believe we're helping bring Mudgee an event that would otherwise be out of reach for many regional fans," Chapman said.
"It has been inspiring to see the level of community outreach undertaken this week with thousands of regional school children and communities engaged by the program of events undertaken by the Dragons.
"Our ongoing partnership with the Dragons and our support of the Charity Shield are both developing opportunities for Westfund as we look to engage with our members and communities in key areas across the Central West of NSW."
Dragons team for 2018 Westfund Charity Shield:
1. Matt Dufty
2. Nene Macdonald
3. Euan Aitken
4. Tim Lafai
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Gareth Widdop (c)
7. Ben Hunt
8. James Graham
9. Cameron McInnes
10. Paul Vaughan
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Luciano Leilua
13. Jack de Belin
Interchange:
14. Kurt Mann
15. Jeremy Latimore
16. Leeson Ah Mau
17. Tariq Sims
18. Hame Sele
19. Blake Lawrie
20. Josh Kerr
21. Zac Lomax
22. Reece Robson
23. Darren Nicholls
