NRL and former Wee Waa star Jamie Lyon and some fellow Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles will swoop on the Northern Inland early next week.
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Lyon and half a dozen Sea Eagles fly to Tamworth on Sunday to begin an intensive two days of coaching clinics and school visits to communities such as Lyon’s home town Wee Waa, Moree, Gravesend, Pallamallawa and Warialda.
Greater Northern regional manager Scott Bone said the visit has been something of a regular Sea-Eagle trip.
“Yeah, Jamie loves coming back to his old home town and takes a few of his teammates every year,” Bone said.
“This year Jamie is coming with Steve Matai, Jamie Buhrer, Jayden Hodges, Brayden Williams and Jesse Sena-Lafao.
“They fly in Sunday and head to Wee Waa and Warialda on Monday.
“One car goes to Wee Waa and the other to Warialda for clinics and visits on Monday.
“Then they meet up in Moree on Tuesday at Boughton Oval with clinics for the Boars and Boomerangs juniors.
“They’re also going to Pallamallawa and Gravesend at some stage too.”
The NRL launched its 2015 Community Carnival last month, with Olympic hero and youth wellbeing advocate Cathy Freeman joining new NRL Community ambassador Anthony Minichiello to commence the month-long activity.
Now in its 15th year, Community Carnival sees NRL ambassadors and players from each of the 16 NRL clubs visit remote and regional towns across Australia and New Zealand, using this extensive outreach as a powerful platform to deliver important social messages to hundreds of thousands of young fans.
The community message of this year’s event is wellbeing, focusing on everything from nutrition and healthy eating, to the importance of regular exercise and its effect on mental health.
Freeman joined the NRL at Soldiers’ Settlement Public School to support the launch of this year’s Community Carnival message, noting her own strong links back to advocating wellbeing in young Australians.
“Being an NRL fan myself, I can see the positive influence players and ambassadors can have on young people.
“The wellbeing message that players will deliver during this year’s Community Carnival mirrors the work that my foundation achieves in remote indigenous communities,” Freeman said.
“Together, I believe we can empower young Australians, particularly indigenous children, with the knowledge and skills they need to live long and healthy lives.
“I commend the NRL for taking such an important issue to classrooms around Australia.”
Players will be armed with the newly-developed Eat Well Play Well Stay Well game and wellbeing resource, which has been endorsed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
