The Newtown Jets and the De La Salle JRLFC announce a rugby league partnership

The Newtown RLFC is pleased to announce the formation of a footballing partnership with the De La Salle Junior Rugby League Football Club.

The De La Salle JRLFC was established in 1962 and is the biggest club in the Cronulla-Sutherland Junior Rugby League, with more than 800 registered players and 60 teams across all age divisions.

De La Salle’s senior team now plays in the high-standard Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup (the former Illawarra Rugby League first grade competition) against well-known clubs such as Illawarra Western Suburbs, Thirroul, Collegians, Helensburgh, Dapto and Corrimal.

De La Salle finished fourth on the 2022 Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup competition table and were eliminated at the minor semi-final stage.

In conjunction with Newtown’s successful partnership with the Cronulla Sharks NRL franchise, this new alliance with the De La Salle club in the Illawarra competition provides an excellent pathway for the De La Salle juniors upwards and into the Newtown NSW Cup ranks, with the ultimate aim of winning places in the Cronulla Sharks NRL squad.

The De La Salle Illawarra Cup squad will provide a pool of reserves for Newtown’s NSW Cup team and also a means by which surplus Newtown Jets NSW Cup players can maintain match fitness.

The De La Salle JRLFC has a proud record of achievement in the Cronulla-Sutherland Junior Rugby League and has produced quite a number of players who have played with Newtown in the past or in recent times.

Such names include Steve Hansard, Luke Metcalf, Kade Dykes, Kurt Dillon, Sam Stonestreet, Jayden Walker, Tyla Tamou, Jack A. Williams (who captained Newtown in that glorious 2019 NSWRL Canterbury Cup premiership victory), Jayden McDonagh, Chris McPherson, Ben Lucas, Simon Davies, Luke Sant and Isaac Longmuir.

Former De La Salle players who played with Newtown in the club’s successful Metropolitan Cup era include Craig Shaw, Luke Carnegie, Jeff Withers and Luke Taper.

Former Newtown players who have coached at the De La Salle JRLFC with considerable distinction include Brendan Mooney, Tony Catton and Bluebags icon Bob Carnegie.

Another strong link between De La Salle and Newtown is the long-serving livewire official John Little, who was a Director with Newtown between 2000 and 2005, and has been a senior official with De La Salle from 2006 to the present day.