Macarthur RL: Narellan Jets salute community with Indigenous and Women in League Round

While the Narellan Jets might be out of finals contention, the club continues to plant seeds for a long and prosperous future. See how the club’s inaugural Indigenous and Women in League Round helps their cause.

Narellan Jets, Indigenous and Women in League Round, 2023.

While it’s been a tough season for the Narellan Jets on the field, off it the club is turning the corner.

After pulling the pin midway through last season’s Macarthur Rugby League competition, the Jets’ credibility was in free fall. Now with a new committee and inspirational captain-coach Levi Dodd at the helm, the club is quickly restoring its reputation.

As part of the Jets’ quest to instil family values, next Saturday sees the club conduct its inaugural Indigenous and Women in League Round.

Amid a host of cultural and kids activities, Narellan Sports Ground will play host to a mix of footy action with the first of five games kicking off at 12:30pm.

Georgia Galvin models the women's Indigenous jersey. Picture: Narellan Jets

“The best way to make a successful club is to bring culture,” said Dodd, leaning on a decade of experience with teams in both NSW and Queensland.

“The committee asked for ideas and I suggested this as a way to put all our eggs in one basket to thank everyone who has supported the club.

“It’s great for the club and the community in so many ways,” explained Dodd. “We have the blessing from the Tharawal people who are the traditional owners of the land, and they have helped design and fund the women’s and men’s jerseys.”

Driven by accountability with a caring soul, Dodd embraces inclusivity and is desperate to turn the club’s fortunes around.

Levi Dodd on the charge for the Narellan Jets’ future. Picture Steve Montgomery

“We have quite a few Aboriginal players including Liam Khan and women’s fullback Georgia Galvin,” Dodd said.

“They’re all proud of their heritage, and to be honest, when I told them a few teared up.

“But the best thing about this day is that there are no limits. There are so many different cultural backgrounds at the Jets and we want to include everyone.

“I‘m a proud Maori boy and I think it is important to understand where people are from, but in saying that the main objective of the day is to respect and honour the Aboriginal culture.”

While the men’s teams are out of finals contention, the Jets Open Age Women are firmly in title contention.

“The Narellan women are going very well, they are actually holding the fort at the club,” said Dodd. “The men’s first grade will wear pink socks to acknowledge all the women involved at the club.”

Rather than just a one off, Dodd believes the weekend’s festival is a golden opportunity to create a lasting legacy.

“A lot of people left Narellan because they felt the culture had gone,” he said.

“I'm not saying that this is like the club’s glory days, but there’s a new culture in the air and it’s a good one.

“We want to see a repeat of this round every year at Narellan. I want the juniors to take it in and have a long term desire to replace us players on the field one day,” he said before pointing to the big picture.

“Hopefully it will become an event other teams want to attend, not just to play and watch but to get to know each other and mend issues that may have happened in the past, and to create a better environment.”