For the Bulldogs, a return into one of the premier country rugby league competitions has been over five years in the making.
Though perhaps not achievable this season, the ultimate goal for the Bulldogs will be to bring home a piece of Group 9 silverware to Cootamundra; though leaving Group 9 was difficult for the Bulldogs, the most disappointing part was the team’s inability to bring home the George Tooke Shield, a competition in which they were often seen as one of the heavyweights.
Being one of the founding fathers of the competition all the way back in 1922, the town was understandably devastated when news came out; that after 97 years of competitions in Group 9 and a history that includes nine Group 9 premierships, the team would be going into the George Tooke Shield.
Now after five seasons, with a momentous effort from the board of the Bulldogs and help from the community, finally Cootamundra will return to their rightful home of Group 9 rugby league.
President Stephen Howse says the impact the return will have on the community can not be overstated.
“It’s a massive milestone for the Club, historically when you look at the teams that have left such as Harden, Tumbarumba, Batlow and Adelong, all teams that left and to this day have been unable to rejoin. I think to finally buck the trend is massive for us,” Stephen said.
“The top four sides in the George Tooke are great sides, Bungendore, Harden, Crookwell and Binalong have all given us competitive games over the past few years, even still it’s a step up in class this year which I think the boys are ready for.
“For the first time since leaving Group 9, we’ve been able to recruit outside of Coota, for the most part, it has been local lads that have carried the load for us and been putting on our jersey every week but now we’re able to recruit elsewhere and take the stress and pressure off their shoulders.
“We’ve only got a few blokes in the squad who have experience at a Group 9 level which I think we can use as an advantage. We’re coming into the season a lot more educated on all the other teams than they are of us.”
Bulldogs coach David Buttriss will be heading into his second season as the main man, Howse believes there’s nobody in the world better suited to leading the Dogs forward.
“He’s got an exceptional footballing mind and he’s so popular with the playing group, having him stick around and continue to mentor our younger players whilst also helping the structure with the older players is huge for us,” Howse continued.
Buttriss is very optimistic about the Bulldogs’ chances this season. “We are buzzing to be back. The communities are all behind us. I think we will be pretty competitive this year. We have had a lot of local boys that have held the team together for the last four years and they are ready for the step up and we have recruited pretty well in positions of need,” David added.
President of Group 9 Grant Fenn was pleased to be welcoming back the Bulldogs to the competition. “It’s going to be a great season. We’ve got ten teams in the comp. Cootamundra is back in. They have been historically a very strong side and they are back in the comp after a few years out,” Fenn said.
-Tully Potts
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