Bathurst Panthers and Oberon Tigers merge to keep under 11s involved in league

For this year's Group 10 Junior Rugby League competition there will be a new-look side playing in the under 11s division. It's an Oberon Tigers and Bathurst Panthers joint venture.

While both Oberon and Panthers are clubs that have a presence across the junior grades, neither had the numbers needed to field a side in the under 11s.

Rather than having the kids that were keen to play miss out or be split up from their mates, the big cats were born.

Greg Behan, who will co-coach the side with Luke Christie-Johnston, is delighted the merger has eventuated.

"I thought if we don't get a team and everyone just disperses and players go here and there, that would be it," Behan said.

"They all like playing together with their friends, so I thought if I could keep them all together, it would be better for them.

"In every team you've got the really good players, but then some of the other players that aren't as good yet, but you don't want to lose them to the sport because you don't know if they're going to develop into a good player.

"If you give them the opportunity to stick together, they they'll progress through and develop together and stay in the sport rather than saying Oberon didn't get a side this year and they won't play next year."

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While Behan was intent on keeping his group of 11 Tigers together, he needed help if he was to make it happen.

That help came when Haylie Fischbeck contacted the Tigers and said Bathurst Panthers also only had 11 players for that age group.

So the Tigers and the Panthers united. They now have a good depth of numbers plus Behan and Christie-Johnston - two players with a wealth of rugby league experience - as coach.

"I love it, I've actually coached them right through with Luke. I coach the under 13s Group side as well, I really, really enjoy it," Behan said.

"It's a good transition now I've stopped playing football, it keeps me in football at the same time."

The new under 11s side made their debut at Sunday's junior pre-season carnival in Orange.

Behan was pleased both with how they came together on the field and that all the players enjoyed their football.

"They played decent footy for a team that's never played together, so I think it's going to be a really good thing for them," he said.

"Because of the time frame they only had one training session before the carnival and at the start of that session every one was stand-offish.

"But everything we did at that training sessions was based around getting them to start talking and by the end of it, they were all loving it and playing footy together.

"They lost one game by one try, won one game, then lost another by two or three tries. But considering that was the first time they'd played together, I can see a lot of promise in them.

"They're getting to play, they're having fun, they're all laughing and smiling."

For the upcoming Group 10 Junior Rugby League season the under 11s will split their home games between Oberon and Bathurst's Carrington Park.

When they're in Oberon the side will wear Tigers jumpers, when they're in Bathurst they'll have Panthers colours on.

But Behan said there are plans for a special piece of kit for the players as well.

"We're actually trying to rig up a training shirt that has one side that's a Tiger and the other as Panther for a bit of memorabilia," he said.

The Group 10 JRL season starts April 29.

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