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| Canley Vale Junior Rugby League Football Club Inc started back in 1963 the
brain child of of our co-founders the Late Jimmy Connell and former Western
Suburbs first grade player Dev Dines.
Since those early days the club has enjoyed a great deal of success with the first premiership win in our second year of competition in the Parramatta District League. That win by a team made up a boys between 8 and 12 years of age was to be the first of many in the years to follow. Between 1964 and 2000 the club has won a total of 53 Premeirship Titles with all age groups from under 7's through to the open A Grade sharing in the club's long and very proud record. In November of each year the Club holds its Annual General Meeting where a 6 member Board of Management is elected by the members. In the 36 years the club has been operating there have been 14 different Presidents, 10 secretary's and 15 Treasurers. We boast a Life Membership of 24. Life membership is granted to a member in recognition of many years of meritorious service to the club and to the District the club serves. The first club member to receive life membership was co-founder the late Jimmy Connell, a well deserved honour awarded in November 1969. Players are granted life membership after playing for a continous unbroken 15 years with the club. We currently have 4 player life members, one of our player life members played again during the 1999 season with our A Grade team. |
| The birth of the club took place at the Kookaburra Hotel in Canley Vale.
The first meeting was attended by a number of very keen supporters of the
idea, a ballot took place on the night for the election of the inaugural
executive the result was;
President Frank Johnson, Secretary the late Ken Lloyd and treasurer Laurie Mason
these three men along with the other members of the committee were given the
job of getting the club of in the right direction, which they did very well
setting an extremely strong foundation for the years to follow.
In the years since our first entry into the Parramatta District Competition we have had some very good players pass through our ranks and go onto be selected for representative honours. One of those players was Neil Hunt who played for several seasons with Parramatta including a Grand Final. Neil also represented New South Wales in a State of Origin Game. A number of other players to be graded or contracted to Parramatta in either the "Harold Mathews, "S.G.Ball", "Jersey Flegg" or Higher, are as follows; |
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| Rodney Feltham | David Metcalf | John O'Brien | Adrian Anderson | John Ring |
| Steve McKenzie | Geoff U'Brien | Alfonso Medei | Michael Berkutov | Neil Ring |
| David Cairnes | Terry Wilson | Rodney Grief | Gregory Perrin | Ron Choice |
| John Cooper | Glenn Scott | Robert Ryan | Chris Davies | Bob Cass |
| Paul Carey | Noel Parke | Robert Jaye | Phillip Mann | Geoff Moore |
| Wayne Levy | Don Stacker | Stuart Dines | Wayne Merry | Andy Luc |
| Steve Sharp | Brian Jackson | Paul Langmack | Peter Bevan | Michael Buettner |
| Michael Vella | Joven Clarke | Matthew Darke | Francis Teaupa | . |
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| Two former coaches for the Kookas who gave of their time so keenly winning 2 premierships
were father and son duo Dasher [Dave] & Bomber [Steve] Burraston who are still into Rugby
League being heavily involved with the Newcastle Knights junior representative team. Other coaches to enjoy success on more that one occasion are; |
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| Jimmy Connell x2 | Dick Simpson x2 | Laurie Littler x2 | Danny Holmes x2 | |
| Steve Gray x2 | Greg Johnstone x2 | Stan Langlands x2 | Wayne Harvey x2 | |
| Bob Stanley x2 | Dev Dines x3 | Neville Potter x3 | Bert Bass x3 |
Bert Bass also won a Coca Cola Knockout in the same year as his premiership win.
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If I have missed any one from the above lists then I would be very grateful to receive information that allows me to update our records. The club welcomed the commencement of the new millennium with just 7 teams in the competition well down on previous years, however by years end there were 3 teams U10's coach Ray Howitt U13's coach Bob Stanley and U14's coach Todd Armstrong. [Todd took over from Tony Allen about half way through the season] in the Grand Final. A Great effort by all concerned. The 10's met Cabramatta in the Grand Final at International Oval, Seven Hills. What a game, I thoroughly enjoyed, what I think, for a couple of teams of under 10 year olds was fantastic. A fast strong running lot of Kookas who deserved to be the champions, with a win over Cabramatta of 19-8 the boys did themselves, their coach and club proud. Congratulations boys and Ray!! The 13's went down to Wentworthville in a game played at C.V.Kelly Park Toongabbie. A game coach Bob would have loved to win to break the club record of 3 grand final wins, alas Bob have another go next year. with a four pointer early then went into their shell and allowed the opposition to over run them to a resounding Wenty win of 42-4. Bad luck boys try again next year. Remember its hard getting to a Grand Final so when you do get there you have to give everything you have, you must give a 100% effory from the first whistle right through till you hear the final whistle. Team, you did well to get to play a grand final. Lots of players junior & senior never get to experience the excitement of that. WELL DONE!! The under 14's took the field against Holroyd again at C.V.Kelly Park and by half our boys trailed 26-0. I'm afraid the second half was just as upsetting for the team, they just couldn't get going at all, we all know they can play a lot better than they did in this game. Well its back to the drawing board and 2001. Michael Buettner Michael commenced his junior with Cabravale Diggers JRLFC, after their withdrawal from the competition he transferred to the Kookas. In 1991 Michael as captain of Westfields Sports High School he was selected in the Australian Schoolboys team. After being a very successful junior rep player with Parramatta Michael moved through the ranks to the top team with the Eels. A move saw Michael with the North Sydney Bears for several years until the merging of Norths with Manly and forming "The Northern Eagles". In 2001 Michael rejoined Parramatta and played what some people say was one of his best seasons, playing great rugby league he was instrumental in Parramatta making it to the Grand Final for the first time in 15 years. Michael Vella Another of our former players to make THE BIG TIME is Michael Vella. Michael is listed in the names above and this year [1999] has been giving his usual 110% every game he has played for Parramatta Eels & Has now been rewarded for his efforts by being selected in the NSW state of Origin team for the 2nd of the 1999 showdowns played at Stadium Australia Homebush. Michael Vella only knows one way of playing the game of Rugby League and that is hard & fast from the first whistle to the last. We congratulate you Michael, could the next step be a birth in the Aussie Rep team. Yes he made it to the Top Team in 1999 After great efforts in 2000 & 2001 Michael was re-signed by Parramatta to a lucrative 4 year deal making him [I would think] the first Million Dollar player from the kookas. Joven Clarke Joven continued his rise in rugby league after gaining selection into the "Possible-Probables" team to play at Steelers Stadium in Wollongong after which the NSW U17's team was announced to play an u17 state of origin game as a curtain raiser at Sun Corp stadium in Brisbane for the 2nd NSW V Queensland clash. It was back to school football for Joven where again he was selected in the NSW Schoolboys open team to again play in Brisbane in the Australian Championships. After a few games the selectors announced the Australian Team to play New Zealand in two tests again in Brisbane on Sunday 10th and Wednesday 13th September. Joven was selected on the wing in the Australian Schoolboys team for 2000. Joven played rep football for Parramatta, last year (1999) in the Harold Matthews side and 2002 the S.G.Ball team were he was the top try scorer both years. He also re-signed with Parramatta for 2001 again in the S.G.Ball side, again top try scorer. At the end of the S G Ball comp he played Jersey Flegg gaining a start in 10 games, scoring 12 tries. 2002 Joven was signed to a 2 year contract with the South Sydney Rabbitohs on their re-entry into the competition after a 2 year absence. |
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Last Update 28th January 2002
