Dalby Diehards’ final home game of the season to coincide with 200 club celebration and retirement of club legend

There will be plenty to celebrate at the last home game of the season for the Dalby Diehards, with the club celebrating their 25th anniversary of the 200 club and the retirement of club legend Daniel Wassell. Find out more here.

Dalby Diehards stalwart Daniel Wassell will hang up the boots after their last home game of the 2024 season. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The Dalby Diehards are gearing up for a massive weekend with their final home game of the season coinciding with 25 years of the 200 club and the retirement of club veteran Daniel Wassell.

Currently sitting fifth the Diehards will face top of the ladder Warwick Cowboys before heading into the finals next week.

Club president Dan Manley said this would be a particularly special day with a big turnout expected for the final game of club legend Daniel Wassell, who is retiring after 17 years.

“We are hoping to get a huge crowd this weekend, Danny Wassell is a Jandowae boy but is a Dalby hometown hero, this will be his final game at home and we are hoping to get a lot of Jandowae people come out for that,” he said.

“He has been here for a long time, well before I was around, he is the ultimate warrior he has a competitive nature that I don't think anyone matches and he punches well above his weight week in and week out.

“He is also a great club man, we are very grateful to have him and he will be sorely missed.

“I’d also like to give a special shout out to Danny’s dad Ian who has run water for us for years and has been a bedrock of our club along with his wife Sharmaine they certainly love the club and it’s reciprocated.”

The Dalby Diehards celebrate their victory over Valleys in the TRL 2023 grand final.

Also being celebrated this weekend is 25 years of the 200 club, a group integral to the Diehards’ success.

“This is really big for the Diehards, the 200 club was set up with the commencement of the Diehards when all of the clubs combined, they raise money for the club and has been running for 25 years,” he said.

“It's called the 200 club because its $200 to enter, each member puts in $200 and they get a hat and a shirt and free entry to the games and essential that's how we raise money for travel for the players and all sorts of things.

“They are an independent body who cover the little things off to the side which are imperative for a country club, they give us a huge boost.

“We are hosting a thank you for them this week, we got a brand new jersey with all the names of every 200 club member and we will auction that off after the game.”

Mr Manley said they were looking forward to the final home game of the season in preparation for the finals.

“We are playing top of the table Warwick Cowboys so it should be a really good clash,” he said.

“We have managed to finish fifth possibly fourth for the year which is an automatic entry into the finals.

“We are a different group to what we are last year we had the retirement of some of our older fellas which we are missing, but we have blooded a lot of the local blokes who've come through the juniors and they will be much stronger for it in a couple of years.”