National Rugby Competition - already in planning

[NK Arsenal]

A 'Newcastle' team would be better off playing out of Maitland or Singleton or even further up the Valley.
There might be enough country yokels up the valley to give a bit of support to the team.
I think the Newcastle team in the Sydney grade comp lasted one or two seasons (the Wildfires).

Yeah the wildfires were the worst mistake newcastle as a town ever made.

 

[Woods99]

Yeah the wildfires were the worst mistake newcastle as a town ever made.

The "Wildfires" lasted for a few seasons. In their final game, in 1999, they thrashed Eastwood, who went on to win the comp that year. I saw them put on some good performances in '97 and '98, and I am pretty sure that they started a few years before that. Their first captain was Marty Roebuck, who was Australia's fullback in the 1991 World Cup.

They produced some handy players, including Dave Fitter, who is currently with the Force, Tim Rapp, Nathan Croft, Nathan Friis, Jarrod Heaney, some of these had Waratahs contracts.


The biggest mistake was that the whole community didn't get behind them.