The Ricky Walford Shield will celebrate its 30th anniversary when the tournament for primary school children kicks off at Ricky Walford Oval in Walgett tomorrow.
The tournament was first held in 1993 and has been running ever since, apart from 2020 when it was suspended due to the COVID pandemic.
Walford told nswrl.com.au he was approached by the late Steve ‘Bear’ Hall, a legendary Indigenous coach, development officer and mentor, in 1993 about lending his name to a tournament named in his honour in his hometown of Walgett.
“Once Steve came up with the concept of the Ricky Walford Shield, I was only too happy to support it and lend my name to it,” Walford said.
“I thought it might have gone for a few years and that would be the end of it but here we are 30 years later.”
The tournament has even unearthed a few Rugby League stars in its day, including a young kid from Wee Waa who played in the very first instalment in 1993 before going on to pursue a successful career as a player which included premierships, and representative jumpers for NSW and Australia.
“Jamie Lyon played in our first one, that’s our claim to fame for the Ricky Walford Shield,” Walford said.
“He played for Wee Waa at the time and then went on to great heights and was a terrific footy player.”
There are seven teams from six schools who will be taking part tomorrow including Coonamble Public School, St Joseph’s Walgett, Walgett Primary School, Brewarrina Central and Collarenbri-Goodooga-Mungindi, and Central.
Walford said there have been plenty of other regions that have competed for the Shield in the past 30 years including Woy Woy, Moree, Bourke, Narrabri, Wee Waa, Dubbo, Warren, Nyngan and Lightning Ridge.
It has also paved the way for other tournaments to follow suit including the George Rose Memorial Shield for Years 3 and 4 which is played on the same day, and a netball tournament for girls.
“We’ve had a good mix of teams and towns that have been supportive of the concept for over 30 years and we’re looking forward to another great day tomorrow,” Walford said.
“It also provides an opportunity for other community organisations in the town to set up a tent for information distribution, such as the Aboriginal Medical Service, or the Shire Council, or road safety.
“It creates a platform for a lot of other issues to be dealt with at a carnival but doesn’t take away from the spectacle which is Rugby League of course.”
The tournament is played in a round robin format for Year 5 and 6 students, and players must be enrolled in school to take part. The games are played under Mod League rules with a maximum of 11 players on a team, seven players on the field and halves of nine minutes.
Walford said he was grateful to the support he had received over the years from Hall and his brother Keith, former NSWRL Chief Executive Geoff Carr, NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden, the NSWRL board, NSWRL Indigenous and Community Programs Manager Kristian Heffernan, the St George Dragons and Walgett Public School teachers Christopher Hunt, Kaylene Dodds and Justin Horan.
“It’s going to be a bit of a milestone which I’m proud of and there’s been a lot of time and effort over the past 30 years for the Ricky Walford Shield,” he said.
“The NSWRL has supported the concept from the start and I’m very thankful of that. The spectacle is for the kids and the focus is on them to let them enjoy themselves.
“It’s also educational and cultural because we want to make sure the kids stay at school and do as well as they can and reap the rewards and benefits of being educated and sport is a great way to do that, particularly with Rugby League.”
Walford, 59, was a goal-kicking winger who represented NSW for one match in the 1990 State of Origin series, as well as two games for the Country Origin team, and one for the City Origin team
He started his career with Eastern Suburbs and North Sydney but enjoyed his greatest success with St George where he played 207 games for 104 tries and 229 goals.
