Incoming rugby president hunts Limestone Coast sporting success

Sean Hunter Dsc 025020200311crop  TBW Newsgroup
EXCITED: Newly appointed Blue Lake Knights Rugby League Club president Sean Hunter is excited for the busy year ahead. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

Sean Hunter Dsc 025020200311crop TBW Newsgroup
EXCITED: Newly appointed Blue Lake Knights Rugby League Club president Sean Hunter is excited for the busy year ahead. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

RUGBY League continues to be pushed to new heights in the Limestone Coast and 2020 is packed full of excitement for fans of the sport.

Sean Hunter steps into the president role for the Blue Lake Knights this year and is excited to take the reins from the outgoing Brenton Hodge.

He has big plans for not only the Knights, but the Limestone Coast Rugby League as a whole and is eager to make use of the recent affiliation with the NRL to continue the push to make Rugby League a mainstream sport in the region.

“I am really excited to step up and have a crack at being president,” Hunter said.

“I have only been playing for a couple of years – the game has really brought a new lease out on my sporting experience.

“I really wanted to try and take on a bit of a leadership role and help drive change and push the club forward.”

Hunter has set some ambitious long-term goals for his presidential stint, but remains confident they are achievable.

“The goal I would like to achieve by the end of my tenure is establishing kids rugby,” he said.

“We would like to push to get a junior comp going with the assistance from the NRL development officer down here, Matthew Grubb, while also really pushing for a female competition.

“In the past we have seen some strong numbers from the women, but we have just been unable to retain them or keep their interest because of the ongoing women’s AFL in the summer and a few other things.”

Smaller projects on the agenda include finalising sponsors, while professional goal posts will be made ready for the 2020 season.

The Knights have retained Malseed Park as their home ground and Hunter hopes that relationship continues to blossom for years to come.

The 2020 Limestone Coast Rugby League season will run from October to December, with the Knights eager to improve on last year’s result.

“Unfortunately we were defeated in the first final (last year),” Hunter said.

“This year we aim to bring as many of our returning players back to strive for that flag and strive to play a home grand final.”

The recent Harmony Cup played in Adelaide saw two Blue Lake Knights represent an Australian team against teams of other ethnic backgrounds.

Corey Epiha and Chris Driver made the trip and represented the team with pride, making an impact in the side.

“They made it to the semi-finals and both boys had a good showing of themselves,” Grubb said.

“Unfortunately they couldn’t make it all the way to the grand final, but the boys really enjoyed themselves and it was a good opportunity for them to go out and test themselves against the city players.”

Looking ahead to this month, the Blue Lake Knights will host another representative event at Malseed Park on March 21.

“It is free entry and it is regional Victoria versus regional South Australia,” Hunter said.

“Then we have SA metro versus regional SA – that is the rep round for state selection.

“The rugby from the Limestone Coast have developed a team in combination with Naracoorte and here (Mount Gambier), producing hopefully some of the best guys we can get out of the league.”

Grubb is excited by the event, which will provide an opportunity to test the level of rugby in the Limestone Coast against metro and interstate opponents.

“It just shows the level of commitment the NRL has to South Australia as a state,” he said.

“They are bringing the state rep round to country South Australia – it is the first time it has ever happened.

“It has always been played up in the city and now we have SA regional playing SA metro down here.

“The best players from those teams are going to be selected to go away to Darwin as part of the South Australian state rep team.”

The day is sure to provide plenty of hard-hitting entertainment and will showcase the best of the best from both within and outside of the Limestone Coast.

A raffle will also be held on the day with two tickets to the Adelaide State of Origin up for grabs.