Jets to revisit rugby league’s historic inner-city site
The Newtown Jets returned to WentworthPark in 2018 for the first time in 91years, and they will be playing there again this Sunday, 17thFebruary, in a pre-season trial match against North Sydney.
There will in fact be three NSW Rugby Leaguepre-season trial games at WentworthPark on Sunday, at thishistoric venue which was one of the first grounds used for rugby league in1908, the year of the code’s foundation.
SydneyUniversityand Ryde-Eastwood will play in a Sydney Shield trial at 1.15pm on Sunday,followed by the Glebe Dirty Reds Ron Massey Cup squad up against the NorthSydney Jersey Flegg trial team at 3.00pm. In the main game at 5.00pm, Newtown plays North Sydneyin an Intrust Super Premiership trial match. With respect to theGlebe-North Sydney trial match on Sunday, it will be the first time these twoclubs have met at WentworthPark in over ninetyyears.
New signings likely to turn out with Newtown on Sunday could include lock forwardSiosifa Talakai (formerly with the Penrith Panthers); fullback and winger ChrisTupou (ex-Cronulla Sharks); winger Jalen Reweti (ex-North Sydney); and wingerand centre Pio Nakubuwai (ex-Melbourne Storm).
Newtown’sdemanding pre-season program has been conducted in a particularly hot and humidsummer, but head coach Greg Matterson says he and the Jets staff have beenimpressed with the squad’s thorough application to their training regimen.