THE half-time Barraba dash could be a thing of the past after the rugby league club was awarded a grant to upgrade the toilet facilities at its ground on the western edge of town.
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The Bulldog faithful will no longer have to hold or risk missing the action after Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson announced the Community Building Partnerships Program would give $63,500 to the club.
The Bulldogs are one of the most successful in the group over the past five years and, as such, have one of the biggest followings, but smallest toilets.
There is only one toilet for females and one for males, with no trough.
Club secretary Jacob Hawley welcomed the news and said that improvements to the current facilities couldn’t come quick enough.
“We have been putting in for grants for over five years so it is great to get one going our way,” Hawley said.
“They are the first toilets you see coming into Tamworth Council area or the last ones leaving and there are always people stopped there.
“They can be pretty disgusting.”
The grant will be used to put in a building with seven toilets, a wheelchair- accessible toilet and baby change facilities.
With one of the strongest supporter bases in Group 4, the new facilities will be welcomed by players and supporters alike.
The club is now hoping that Tamworth Regional Council will either match the money or at least chip in to top up the grant.
“It is a council ground but we do all the mowing and maintenance,” Hawley said.
“It would be great to add better dressing sheds or doing something even bigger and better with it.”
The club is hoping to get to work straight away and possibly have something in place before the football season is over.
Captain-coach Tim Coombes has signed up for another season after eventual premiers Dungowan ousted them from the preliminary final last year.
The Bulldogs could be heading into a re-building phase with the loss of a few big name players.
Premiership-winning half Joey Latham retired after last year’s finals loss, and fellow playmaker Brad Craddock may be following suit.
Star back Luke White also looks like he might be taking a step back, or even playing for the Rams across town as the Barraba rugby boys try to make their fiftieth anniversary a big year.
Ron Wheeler will be playing for the Oxley Diggers and there are a few other names up in the air.
“We haven’t had a good look yet,” Hawley said.
“We have a few young blokes coming up who are half all right and a few other blokes looking to come back.”
