The Cootamundra Bulldogs have been significantly bolstered by the news that multiple Group 9 Premiership winner and club icon Luke Berkrey will be returning to his hometown to serve as Captain-Coach in 2026. Berkrey has spent the past year in Yass in an identical role.
The dusty fields of Group 9 rugby league have witnessed many heroes, but few have etched their name into its folklore quite like Luke Berkrey. From a prodigious talent in Cootamundra to a premiership-winning leader at Gundagai, his journey is one for the ages.
Berkrey’s storied career commenced in his native Cootamundra, where a fresh-faced 16-year-old first donned the beloved Bulldogs jersey in 2008. Even then, his potential was unmistakable, a natural five-eighth and lock who swiftly captured the attention of NRL scouts. His path briefly led him away from the familiar Riverina landscape, with stints in the Canberra Raiders’ junior systems and even a year with the formidable Melbourne Storm.
These experiences, though short-lived, instilled in him the professional habits and unyielding work ethic that would come to define his play. Yet, the allure of home proved powerful. By 2012, Berkrey was back with the Cootamundra Bulldogs, not just as a player, but also embracing a coaching capacity.
In 2015, he guided his local club to the Group 9 finals, a clear indicator of his burgeoning leadership qualities both on and off the pitch. However, his move to the Gundagai Tigers around 2017 truly solidified his legacy. The Tigers’ den became his domain for seven remarkable years. There, Berkrey transformed into one of Group 9’s most consistent and formidable forwards, a “do as I do” leader who wore his heart on his sleeve. His uncompromising approach, relentless defensive output, and powerful carries made him a player opposition teams “loved to hate,” yet deeply respected.
Under his direction, and often with him at the helm as captain-coach, Gundagai embarked on a golden era. Premierships flowed, with Berkrey leading the Tigers to grand final glory in 2018, 2020, and 2022. He played under esteemed mentors like James Smart and Adam Perry, but his guidance was instrumental in forging a dominant force in the competition.
Beyond club duties, his standing in the region was acknowledged as he captained and coached the Riverina representative side until 2021. Even as injuries began to test his resolve in later years, Berkrey’s passion for the sport never diminished. A torn hamstring and a fractured pelvis in 2024 were significant setbacks, but his determination to return to the field and contribute remained firm.
Luke Berkrey’s Group 9 career is a narrative of a local icon who ascended through the ranks, experienced NRL environments, and returned to dominate the country scene. His triumphs as both a player and a mentor have left an indelible mark on the competition, and his journey continues to inspire.
2025 has presented a challenging year for Berkrey’s Yass Magpies, who currently sit at the bottom of the Canberra Raiders Cup ladder with only two wins all season. It was always going to be an arduous campaign for the Magpies, who contend against Canberra teams enjoying the advantage of not only a larger player pool but also greater financial resources to acquire talent.
With this in mind, Berkrey adopted a youth-focused strategy this season, recruiting Cody and Kaidan Bell from Gundagai, and Jacob Lucas, Clay and Brock Sing from Young. This approach brought both youthful potential and experienced players into the fold, all possessing Reserve Grade experience from Group 9.
“We’ve had some good and bad parts,” Berkrey reflected on his season with “We’ve certainly had so many little areas we could have gotten a lot better off the field, like training, that I’m sure would have added an extra few wins to our record. If you’re not going to build good habits and consistent habits at training, you just can’t build them in a game from where we are.”
Explaining his decision to depart, Berkrey stated, “I had a two-year contract, but the second year was my choice to decide, and it’s probably become a little bit too hard, which is why I decided to leave. That’s not saying that I haven’t enjoyed my time here; I’d love to keep doing it, but things are just not working out in and around the job as well. Everyone’s been great, especially Tim Clayton [Yass Magpies President]; he’s been awesome and made things so easy for me.” He also cited family reasons. “My kids are playing down in the Group 9 area, and I’ve been missing all their footy, and just with the work stuff, the travel is becoming a bit too much,” Berkrey explained.
“It has been disappointing, but hopefully the group is going in the right direction. There are some good local blokes there playing that will hold the club in good stead, so it’s a good job for some-one to come in and pick up.” He commended Clayton’s efforts: “He does a great job each year with the recruitment and retention and all that stuff; it’s a big job for him, but he does an outstanding job and gives the players everything they need.”
Berkrey’s eagerness to collaborate with and mentor younger players aligns perfectly with Cootamundra’s current philosophy, as they possess an incredibly talented group of young athletes who have already progressed significantly this season under the tutelage of David Buttriss. Crucially for Cootamundra, Buttriss will remain as Berkrey’s trusted second-in-command with the two sharing an excellent rapport. Buttriss has helped the Bulldogs surpass all expectations, especially given the side’s severe injury run, which at one stage saw them missing as many as seven regular starters.
This season for the Bulldogs has been as successful as anyone could’ve hoped, with the team being competitive against strong opponents like Tumut, Gundagai, and Junee, and securing victories against South City and the Wagga Brothers.
Berkrey spoke warmly of his future co-coach: “I’ve known DB for a fair while since we were young. He’s a great bloke, and I enjoy spending a lot of time with him. He’s done an awesome job with them, too. They’ve been very lucky in the time that they came in that they had a coach like DB. I think he’s the perfect man for the job.” He also emphasised the importance of Buttriss’s con-tinued involvement. “I’ve had one one-on-one discussion with DB about whether he wanted to keep doing the job or whether it might have been a good idea for me to come in and try and add whatever I can. He concluded it would be a good idea,” Berkrey stated.”But certainly, the first thing I wanted to do was make sure that he’d still be around because he’s got them to an unreal point in a hard time going back into a tough competition, especially com-pared to where they had come from. The value he can still add to the team is massive for me to make sure he’s still around.”
Berkrey utilised his opportunity with Yass this season to regain his fitness after a severe injury sidelined him for the entirety of the 2024 season. “I tore my hamstring off the bone and cracked my pelvis, so I had a pretty bad one,” he recounted. “All that is fully recovered. I’ve played every game, bar one, which I missed due to suspension this year. I’ve been really happy with how my body has responded.”
Regarding the level of competition, Berkrey believes it’s nearly a dead heat. “Both comps have got some great players. It’s a hard one to tell. When I was playing with Group 9, I was playing with a team at the top of the ladder, and now I’m playing in the Canberra comp with a team at the bottom of the ladder. Footy always seems a bit harder when you are in those sorts of teams.”
Berkrey stated there was never much debate about his next destination once he informed Yass he wouldn’t be returning for the 2026 season. “I will be heading back home and playing where I live and have my kids there. The opportunity is just too good.” “It’s been great watching them back in Group 9,” he enthused about the Bulldogs. “They’ve got some great young kids there, a really good local crew of kids. They are certainly a club on the rise, and they’re doing a great job back in Group 9, so it’s been good to watch them. They are nearly all local boys, and they’ve got a couple of big boys on top there, Tai [Faafetai Vaavale] and Nico [Nikola So-vatabua], who have been outstanding for them. I’m sure they are happy with the season they are having, and hopefully they can keep improving.”
Berkrey also recalled his early days with the club: “I played here until I was 16. I was lucky enough to debut when I was 16, went away for a little bit, and came back home. When I moved back home, I was 20 or 21, and I was able to captain-coach for a year, which was probably too young at the time, but you never think you are too young when you are in it.”
Buttriss is eagerly anticipating Berkrey’s return to the Club. “It’s very exciting news. Berkrey and I had a few chats over the last six weeks, and he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t coming in and taking the job away from me. As I said to him six weeks ago, I’d love nothing more for him to come in and take the reins,” Buttriss explained. “And I just wanted to make sure that my assistant coach this year, Jamin Hall, was keen on that because he’s been unbelievable for us this year, and once he was on board, we sort of made it all happen. I think between the three of us, we can do a great job next year and keep building on what we’ve started.”
Buttriss outlined their collaborative dynamic: “I think between the three of us, it can play out well. Berk’s been very experienced in coaching, and he lives and breathes footy. He’s good at what he does. So, yes, the big fellow will be at the top, and he’ll be playing as well, which is great. Jamin’s footy brain, he can assist Berk’s with the coaching side of things, and I can just sort of be that guy there that can just do the one percenters for all the players. I enjoy trying to make the players happy, and if they need something, they know they can always come to me, and I’ll get it done for them. More of the on-field stuff will be between Berks and Jamin, and I can worry about the off-field stuff regarding keeping the players happy.”
He also hinted at player recruitment. “I think Berk’s got a bit of a plan regarding a couple more players coming in, but the main thing is that we talk to all of the playing groups from this year over the next couple of weeks,” Buttriss said. “I’d love nothing more to lock all those guys down for next year, because I know once we have the full squad of what we have at the moment and then bring a player like Berks in, we can do some damage next year, but if we can pick up a couple more, that’ll be unbelievable.”
President Stephen Howse is ecstatic with the signing. “It’s great news; it’s always good to get a junior back and a fella of his experience,” Howse stated. “He’s got a great relationship with a lot of the players and the coaching staff. It’s a great fit. DB has done the best he can do; he thought that Luke could take them to the next level. We love DB, and the fact that he’s sticking around is huge for us.” Regarding recruitment, Howse added, “We haven’t discussed too much about recruitment for next season; our sole focus is to keep on with our current playing group before looking outside for others. We’ve looked at re-signing Tai (Faafetai Vaavale) and Niko (Nikola Sovatabua), and we’re confident they will stay. They’re as popular as anyone; they like the boys and love the Club. Tai brought his whole family here from Queensland. We’re hoping that the foundations they’ve laid here will be enough for them to stay. We’re slowly building our money back up to be competitive with other teams’ salaries.
Howse also highlighted the club’s grassroots strength. “You’ve only got to look at our reserve grade team; it’s filled with locals, and we still haven’t missed a game. “We’ve got a great nursery here for our juniors and under-18s. Ollie Hall has been a busy boy. Their under-18s were all included in pre-season training and were able to get to know everyone. They know what to expect, and they love being around the older players. “They’re such a young reserve grade team, so many young players that are learning the trade, and now they’ll know what to expect next year.”
The Bulldogs now welcome back Berkrey with a wealth of experience under his belt, a local individual whose numerous accomplishments command respect from even the veterans of the competition. His success as a coach would be a tremendous asset on its own. Factor in that he remains one of the premier edge forwards in all of country football, and it would appear the Bulldogs have pulled off an almighty coup.
– Tully Potts
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