An innovative junior club that has implemented a youth driven mentoring program, a competition and club administrator who has almost doubled participation rates in three years, and a First Nations coach who has assisted First Nations players for more than 30 years are among the major award winners in the 2025 NSWRL Community Awards that acknowledge the vital contribution made to the game every season by more than 34000 volunteers across the state.
Cessnock Minor Rugby League (Community Club of the Year), Dean Bliss (Volunteer of the Year – Northern Region) and Scott Mieni (First Nations Volunteer of the Year) were among the 18 award winners who were honoured for giving up their time as volunteers, officials, coaches and/or referees to help contribute to another record season for participation growth in NSW.
The winners featured Community Club of the Year, NSWRL Coach of the Year (Male and Female), First Nations Volunteer of the Year, Inclusive Volunteer of the Year, Young Person of the Year, and 12 Regional Volunteers of the Year.
The NSWRL’s major community volunteer individual award, the Gordon Lowrie Volunteer of the Year, will be chosen from the list of Regional Volunteer winners before being announced at the Brad Fittler Medal at The Star on Monday 1 September.
The Gordon Lowrie Volunteer of the Year, Community Club of the Year, First Nations Volunteer of the Year and Young Person Volunteer of the Year are automatic inclusions for the 42025.community Awards, with the winners to be announced at a later date.
“The 2025 NSWRL Community Awards present the NSWRL with an opportunity to thank and acknowledge the tireless contribution that volunteers make to our great game every season,” NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden said.
“Whether it’s running the canteen, coaching the team, or marking the field, volunteers have always played an important role for community sport and Rugby League would simply not be able to survive without them.
“I congratulate all the winners for the efforts they have made for the 2025 season and thank all volunteers for the hard work they produce every weekend.”
Cessnock Minor Rugby League celebrated 28% growth in 2025 with nearly 600 players this year. A key initiative contributing to the growth is their mentoring program, driven by teenage players.
The club paired experienced players with new and inexperienced players, aimed at building skillsets and confidence.

The Community Club of the Year receives a $2000 Steeden voucher, the Coach of the Year both male and female receive a VIP experience at the NSWRL Grand Final Day at CommBank Stadium on Sunday 29 September, while all Regional Winners receive an invite to the Brad Fittler Medal, a Westpac NSW Blues Supporters Pack, and a plaque to acknowledge their achievement.
2025 NSWRL COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS
NSWRL Community Club of the Year
Cessnock Minor Rugby League (Newcastle and Maitland Region Knights)
Cessnock Minor Rugby League has been deeply embedded in the community since its inception in 1988. The club hosts a Charity Shield event to strengthen community ties, raise awareness and financial support for a different charity every year. The club has been involved in broader community sport, donating footballs, boots and jerseys, also for charity. They embrace their community through other initiatives including holding annual volunteer nights to celebrate the contributions volunteers make every season, actively promoting female leadership to ensure greater participation through coaching, refereeing and education, and embracing mental health programs and education including the NRL State of Mind.
NSWRL First Nations Volunteer of the Year
Scott Mieni (East Coast)
Mieni has been a committee member, coach and mentor in the East Coast Region for more than 30 years and has played a defining role in assisting the First Nations community. He has coached First Nations teams across NSW and helped provide pathways and opportunities for hundreds of players to develop their skills and confidence while instilling pride in their cultural identity. For the past three years he has led the development of culturally appropriate judiciary panels which has strengthened trust between the First Nations community and Rugby League governance, and has been a pioneering figure in the growth of women’s Rugby League within the Mid North Coast Region.

NSWRL Inclusive Volunteer of the Year
Nicole Daley (Wellington Cowboys SRLFC)
Daley has held several roles including Registrar at Dubbo Macquarie, and Registrar and Secretary at Wellington Cowboys before taking over as Club President this season. She has driven an inclusive Super Tag program with Dubbo Macquarie while continuing to volunteer at the Cowboys. Daley created the program to ensure everyone, regardless of their ability, could play and feel part of Rugby League.
NSWRL Community Coach of the Year (Female)
Carrie Mitchell nee Jackson (Queanbeyan Roos Juniors and Belconnen Sharks Juniors)
Mitchell, affectionately known as ‘Jacko’, dedicates her year to ensuring girls can play Rugby League at the highest level they aspire to. She coaches the junior sides for both the Queanbeyan Roos and Belconnen Sharks, the Canberra region RISE Academy, the ACT Under 15s schoolgirls, and the Monaro Colts in the Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s). Jackson is driven to provide opportunities and experiences to female players that were not available to her when she was young.

NSWRL Community Coach of the Year (Male)
Jayden Grocott (Gungahlin Bulls)
Grocott began his coaching journey as a teenager while he was still playing himself in the local competition. He started coaching the Gungahlin Bulls Under 7s and has dedicated the last 11 years to the team who are now in their final season of junior Rugby League. He has shared many memories with the team, including winning a Grand Final, as well as juggling his own playing career as captain of the reserve grade team in the senior competition. The players in the Under 17s aspire to play alongside him one day.
NSWRL Young Person of the Year
Roy Smith (Tumbarumba Batlow Minor League)
Smith, 20, is a player, coach and referee who has been assisting the Junior Club set up, operate and pack up their home games since he was 14. Due to the size of his local community, he travels three hours a night to train with his team and still manages on alternate nights to coach younger players. He also referees on a Saturday before returning to play on Sunday.
NSWRL Volunteer of the Year Regional Winners
Broken Bay
Deborah Kennedy (Belrose Eagles)
Kennedy has been involved with the club for 10 years and holds the roles of Club President, Team Manager, Sports Trainer and Ground Manager. Her commitment to the game is reflected by the fact that she volunteers as a Ground Manager for other grounds when Belrose Eagles do not have a home game, which can see her working Friday nights as well as Saturdays and Sundays. She supports the work and vision of the NSWRL, advocates for the Player Development Framework and actively helps out with player recruitment.
Central Sydney
Mark Weller (Moorebank Rams)
Weller has been involved with the Rams for 16 years having started out as a coach in 2009. He joined the committee as Vice-President in 2013 and moved on to the role of President in 2016. He has managed to juggle both the roles of President with coaching – he coaches the A Grade team – and helps out with all jobs that need doing including running the BBQ or mowing the grounds. When the Grand Finals for other clubs were sent to Hammondville Oval due to other grounds being washed out, Weller ensured there were enough staff to provide a positive experience and stayed back until 11pm on Friday night to ensure the fields were marked.

East Coast
Adam McMurray (Kempsey Dragons JRL)
A jack of all trades, McMurray wears many hats at the Kempsey Dragons including Group President, Under 14s and Under 16s Coach, North Coast Bulldogs Assistant Coach and RISE Coach. He played an instrumental role in getting the competition up and running for both the Under 14s and Under 16s Girls and stepped up to help the community bounce back when extreme weather and flooding hit the region.
Macarthur
Amanda Gadd (The Oaks Tigers JRLFC)
Gadd started off as a manager for her son’s team but after the club’s needs changed, she underwent training to become a Sports Trainer to assist with other teams. She also helps out in the canteen and has inspired other mothers to get involved after leading by example.
Monaro
Geoff Patterson (Tuggeranong Buffaloes)
Patterson’s connection to the Buffaloes started in 2016 when his daughter registered to play with the Under 17s Girls Tackle team. The following year he took on the role as manager when his son signed up for the Under 6s and he has held that position ever since with his son now playing Under 13s. He has taken on numerous other roles including field setup, BBQ duties, sponsorship and merchandise manager from 2019-2022 and Club President from 2024-25.
Newcastle and Maitland
Kristy Brooks (Cessnock Minor Rugby League)
Brooks has held numerous roles during her 14 years at Cessnock including secretary, sponsorship and merchandise coordinator, coach and sports trainer. She helped guide the club through challenging times during the COVID pandemic and still provides players and parents with advice having also been the women’s tackle coordinator.
Northern
Dean Bliss (Dungowan Cowboys RLFC)
Bliss has had a significant impact on Rugby League within Group 4 and Dungowan JRL. He is the Group 4 JRL President, a trainer for Dungowan JRL, a Northern Region board member and a referee when required. He previously held roles as President for Tamworth District Minor League and Dungowan JRL, with the latter growing from 152 participants in 2022 to 289 today. He has come up with initiatives to ensure games go ahead, including the creation of ‘Barbarian Teams’ through cross club collaboration, built up the volunteer base and facilitated the return of the Under 16s team to the Group 4 competition for the first time since 2021.
Riverina
Mark Daly (Albury Thunder RLFC)
Daly has been a volunteer for more than 20 years and has held positions of coach, referee, sports trainer and committee member. He has also stepped up regularly to serve as President of Albury when required. Daly has also served as President of Group 9 where he introduced the first women’s Rugby League competition in the region and also backed the NSWRL’s decision to move the Under 16s competition back to the junior ranks which led to an increase in participation.

South Coast
Ronny Prior (Jamberoo Superoos)
Prior started coaching his son in the Under 6s at Albion Park Oak Flats in 2016 before they both moved over to the Jamberoo Superoos in 2019. He joined the committee and in 2021 he took over as President and has worked hard to transform the club since then taking it from a single team to seven teams. He has driven a culture of Rugby League being a community and utilises local businesses to supply game day food, drinks and other products to help drive this.
Southern Sydney
Glenys Ellis (Arncliffe Scots)
Ellis has been a mainstay at Arncliffe for more than 50 years and dedicates an average of 50 hours a week to the club. As the secretary, she has introduced a Tiny Tots program for toddlers to start them on their Rugby League journey. She has also embraced a multicultural approach for the club to reflect the changing demographics of the area over the past five decades, with the club taking out the Danielle Kifooti #RESPECT Award this year for their submission on ‘Positive Words have Power’.
Western
Nicole Nielsen (Baradine Magpies JRLFC)
As Group 14 President, Nielsen oversees the operations of multiple junior Rugby League clubs across a large rural area. Under her leadership, junior registrations have increased by more than 20 per cent, new League Tag competitions have formed which has had a major impact on female registration and clubs across the group ae working more collaboratively. From 2017-22, Nielsen also served as Treasurer and Registrar of the Baradine Magpies JRLFC where she ensured the club’s financial stability, increased participation and fostered a strong community spirit.

Western Sydney
Leanne Brindell (Blacktown City Bears JRLC)
Brindell has been involved with Blacktown for 33 years and is considered a key figure in helping with its rebirth. She has helped transform the club from fielding only six teams in 2020 to 21 this year, 120 to 300 players and 24 to 90 volunteers. Acting as Treasurer, Brindell has also been instrumental in helping other clubs in the Penrith area cope with the introduction of the GST in 2000 and has assisted others to put them in a profitable position.