CYMS Old Boys come through with the new gear
JENNIFER HOAR
CYMS Rugby League football club representative Norman O'Neill (second from left) receives the new training gear from CYMS Old Boys Kel Brown, Bryan O'Sullivan and Barry O'Connor and Dubbo Sports Power's Anthony Barnes. Photo: BELINDA SOOLE
The Old Boys' club have contributed $2500 worth of tackling and fitness training equipment purchased through the Dubbo sporting goods store, with money raised from the club's weekly joker draw at the Pastoral Hotel.
Old Boy Kel Brown was on hand last week to present the new equipment to CYMS rugby league club representative Norman O'Neill, and said it's part of the club's commitment to supporting rugby league in Dubbo.
"We just thought the football club had been using a lot of old equipment and it had gotten to the point where it was not all that useful anymore so we decided that we'd supply them with this new equipment through Sports Power," Brown said.
"That's to help them with their training methods through the football season. We've provided them with senior buffer hit shields and then we also gave them a dozen fighting fit training gloves and dozen fighting fit training mitts and that assists them with their training with their fitness and agility.
"We've had a long association through Sports Power and [the Barnes family] and they were happy to help us again."
With a number of CYMS supporters and former players and committee members in the club - including five CYMS life members - Brown said the Old Boys understand the importance of football players keeping fit.
"It's one of those things where we've all been through, we've been players ourselves and we know how important it is to be fit to avoid injury and so you can perform at your best," Brown said.
"[It helps by] breaking up the type of training that they do so they're not running around the oval 20 times a night. So that contributes to their fitness as well as their overall mindset and keeps them interested."
The Old Boys also contributes financially to the St John's Junior Rugby League club, as well as to numerous other charitable causes around Dubbo.
Over the years the Old Boys have supported locals affected by cancer and have also donated to local health facilities.
Aside from the football clubs and the wider Dubbo community, the members - particularly the senior ones - also benefit.
"We've got membership of around about 40 people ranging from the early 20s and some of our eldest guys are about 85 years old and we find that it gives those guys something to look forward to," Brown said.
"That's the reason why we're still going, because we've enjoyed rugby league ourselves through the years. We still have a very close association with the current CYMS players and we like to see them do well.
"We do three trips every year. We go to Nyngan, Parkes and Forbes and that's just a day out to watch the football and the older gentleman really look forward to that."