Great to see that community football is back on and a lot of our mob have participated in some of the Koori knockouts being held so far this year.
On the weekend we had the Goodooga Knockout which was a success and it's just showing that a lot of Indigenous communities are back playing Rugby League.
The North Coast Tribal League was run up in the Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Taree areas.
Earlier on we had another round-robin event in the far north coast up around Maclean and Grafton and the Narwan Eels had their Knockout recently as well in Armadale.
All our teams are starting to build up for the football season, and I know everyone has got one eye on October and eagerly awaiting the news that's coming out of the South Coast to let us know the plans and where we are at with everything for the 50th Koori Knockout.
The Goodooga Magpies at their first ever Knockout over the weekend. Source: Facebook: Birdy Brothers United
It will be really interesting because a lot of the top teams that play have their young kids coming through now that will be the next generation, so teams will change a fair bit I think: it's going to be the new breed coming through that shine this year.
Teams like Newcastle All Blacks, the Yowies, Walgett and Griffith Three Ways, a lot of their players have aged now and will they still have enough legs in them to dominate like they have in the past.
One of the best things about the knockout is watching the young players shine. It's going to be good to see all the new young guns coming through.
Weekend NRL
Despite a great effort from the Sharks, including Ronaldo Mulitalo (pictured), the Storm were just too good, and are the ones to beat this season. Source: AAP
The early signs are that they're going to be very difficult to beat this season, and everyone's going to be chasing them.
Though Cronulla's got some great players, including Kennedy, Talakai, and wingers Mulitalo & Katoa, the Storm were just too clinical against them on Friday. They're big playmakers, with Hughes, Papenhuyzen and especially Munster showed they're a cut above.
Anyone looking to win the premiership will have to climb the mountain and battle the Storm, and it's the same with Penrith. They've got great depth, and with Tago & May on their left edge, they're showing that they've still got the ability to score points everywhere.
Now the danger for both sides is the length of the competition.
It's a long way to hold your form all the way through the Origin series, through injuries and other slumps that come in; to hold that level of form for the whole year is the challenge for those two top teams.
Catch Dean Widders on Over The Black Dot, Tuesdays 8.30pm LIVE on NITV.
