The Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues will visit the flood-stricken town of Lismore in July as part of the ongoing commitment by the NSWRL to assist communities throughout NSW which have been affected by the recent severe wet weather.
The announcement today coincided with a visit to Lismore by True Blues Boyd Cordner, Nathan Hindmarsh and Steve Menzies, former Wests Tigers premiership winner Pat Richards and former South Sydney backrower Ethan Lowe for a BBQ and the distribution of essential items.
The planned visit by the NSW Blues will be on Tuesday 5 July for an open training session and fundraising function, supported by NSWRL partners, as the team prepares for the final State of Origin game at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday 13 July.
“The NSWRL is proud of its community ties and is dedicated to provide ongoing support for flood-affected areas around our great state,” NSWRL Chief Commercial Officer Jodie Cross said.
“The town of Lismore has been through so much with the horrendous floods and we wanted to ensure they have the full support of the Rugby League Community, with today’s visit hopefully helping to raise spirits as well as an extra set of hands to help out.
“The Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues have always had a strong connection to the community and are looking forward to coming to Lismore in July to spread some cheer and do whatever we can to help the town get back on its feet.”
Hindmarsh said: “Being from a small country town myself I jumped at the chance to come up and support the local community.”
The NSWRL announced on Monday 14 March a flood relief package worth more than $600,000 to assist Rugby League communities across NSW, particularly in northern NSW, which were devastated by the severe wet weather conditions.
The package covers competitions in Group 1, which is held in the Northern Rivers Region, and Group 18, which is a Junior Rugby League competition only held on the far north coast of NSW. All up, there are 30 clubs and 4700 players who will benefit from the package.
The package includes a $300,000 fund to replace items including jerseys, shorts, socks, footballs, tackle pads and goal posts; the total cost of insurance of all clubs in the affected areas worth an estimated $217,380; and a $100,000 pledge to a whole of game fund in conjunction with the NRL and QRL.
The Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues have played an active role in assisting communities in the past with a visit to the bushfire-affected towns of Taree and Kempsey in 2019; while the team donated their jerseys from Game Three of the 2019 series to raise funds for a family who lost three children in a tragic house fire in the Hunter Valley.
