Newtown Rugby League Football Club - Presentation Night 2009
Khalid Deeb is named as the Newtown Jets Best and Fairest for 2009.

2009 Newtown Jets awards winners Coach's award Kyle Lodge Players' Player award Ray Moujalli Top Try Scorer Sonny Tuigamala Most Improved Player's award James Koloamatangi Top Points Scorer Chris Tuatara Best Back Iwi Hauraki Best and Fairest Best Forward Khalid Deeb Fred Daly Memorial award for the player giving the best service to the club during the year Jimmy Andersen Club Person of the Year for designing, constructing and maintaining the club's high standard website Susan Harkus

The Newtown Jets staged their annual Awards Night at the Jets Sports Club on the evening of Thursday, 1 October.

There was a good crowd in attendance including the recently re-elected Mayor of Marrickville Councillor, Sam Iskandar. Apologies and goodwill messages were received from Federal MPs, Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek, and State MPs, Carmel Tebbutt, Kristina Keneally and Linda Burney.

The night was expertly compered once again by Terry Williams.

President's report

The Newtown RLFC President, Barry Vining, thanked the Jets' sponsors, many of whom were well represented at the function.

Mr Vining indicated Newtown's ongoing determination to continue to lift the status and profile of the NSW Cup competition, in close cooperation with the NSW Rugby League and all the clubs competing in this strong second tier competition.

A new mid-week competition

He also announced that the NSW Cup clubs (including Newtown) will participate in a Challenge Cup competition in 2010 along with regional teams from the NSW Country Rugby League.

This mid-week competition would be staged in addition to the NSW Cup premiership rounds and will help minimise the number of split rounds and byes that plagued the NSW Cup competition format in 2009.

Congratulations to Glen 'Bumper' Dwyer

The President and all assembled joined in congratulating the long-serving Newtown Jets Director and Media Officer, Glen Dwyer, who had been named by the NSW Rugby League as the Club Official of the Year at the NSW Cup awards night held at the NSW Leagues Club on the 24th September.

Coach's report

The Newtown Jets head coach, Greg Matterson, also took the opportunity to review the past season.

He declared that while Newtown had recovered well from a decidedly shaky start to make the 2009 semi-finals, he was determined that under his stewardship Australia's foundation Rugby League club would claim the NSW Cup premiership title in 2010.

Matterson praised the club's 2009 best and fairest award winner, Khalid Deeb, for his professionalism and commitment to improving his game, and also noted the fine contribution made over the past two seasons by Jimmy Andersen, the 2009 Fred Daly award winner.

Andersen has accepted an offer to play with the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup competition in 2010 and the Newtown club extends every good wish to him for the future.

To close formal proceedings, the team and coaching staff gave a rousing rendition of the Newtown victory song.