Group 2 Rugby League: Nambucca Roosters bringing good vibes back to town

The season might only be one week old, but after a huge round one win and the return of some local favourites, there is plenty of positivity around the Nambucca Heads Roosters.

The Nambucca Roosters have kicked off the season in style. Picture: Nambucca Heads Roosters RLFC

The season might only be one game old, but for Nambucca Heads fans, it’d be hard to think of a better start to the campaign.

Kicking off the season in front of their own supporters at Coronation Park, the Roosters took home three wins from four against Woolgoolga in a successful day out.

While the women’s team went down 18-4 in the historic first ever Group 2 women’s tackle clash, and both the under-18s (36-10) and reserve grade (32-24) recorded strong victories, it was in the top grade where the club really impressed, with Nambucca dismantling the defending champions 42-10 in what was a serious statement of intent to start the season.

“They looked really good. It was good to see that the months of work and preparation has paid off,” said club president Peter Bellden.

In fact, the performance was so good that even the president himself didn’t quite see it coming.

“Going into the game I thought we’d put on a decent show and be in the game but to do what we did wasn’t expected. They boys were really fit. It was a nice surprise.”

The Roosters pictured playing in a pre-season trial game against the Taree City Bulls. Picture: Nambucca Heads Roosters RLFC

After a bright start saw the team take an 18-6 lead into the break, the Roosters really turned the screws in the second half with four consecutive tries before the Seahorses scored a consolation at the death.

Lock Jay Melrose was a standout for the side, scoring a double – which included a length-of-the-field effort – and setting up another in the seven-tries-to-two rout.

In fact, Melrose’s return to Nambucca this season is somewhat symbolic of the fortunes of the club.

Folding at the end of the 2018 season due to financial reasons, the Roosters returned after a four-year recess in 2022, only for the first grade team to go through the 14-game season without a win.

However there was a significant rebound last year as all three Roosters sides qualified for the finals, with the first grade team playing finals footy for the first time in a decade en route to the preliminary final.

Looking to build on that success, a host of former Nambucca players – including the likes of Willie Baker, Elijah Edwards, Jacob Welsh and former Group 2 player of the year Melrose, just to name a few – have come home to play for coach Warwick Jones’ side in 2024.

“Warwick and I haven’t gone out to buy any talent, they’ve all sort of approached him and wanted to come back to the club,” said Bellden. “Everyone that’s come has come back, there are no new faces.”

Club officials have said the Roosters’ success has been met with plenty of positivity in the town. Picture: Nambucca Heads Roosters RLFC

And while the team has only played one game in 2024, there is a sense that the revitalised club is heading in the right direction.

“It does feel that way,” said Bellden. “There’s a real good vibe in the club, everyone helps out. If there’s a barbecue to cook, there are guys there to do it; if there’s a fridge to be moved, they’re all helping.

“They’re all hanging out together on the weekends and going on beach runs – there’s a really good family vibe at the moment, and I think if you’re a happy club, results will follow.”

And with a heap of locals heading back home, Belden said the good vibes have been felt far beyond the footy club.

“The town’s poorer for not having a team and the crowds at the games show it: there are kids running around, there’s access for the elderly and those in wheelchairs and there’s just this massive support behind us – the town’s buzzing. You walk up town and get stopped 10 times just to go for a bottle of milk – it’s unreal.”

Nambucca takes on Macksville in the local derby at Coronation Park this Sunday April 21.