Latest news with #Sleapy'sDay
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Newcastle RL finals race tightens as Maitland win fifth-straight minor premiership
Maitland are home and hosed, that's what we know. Cessnock and The Entrance are a step closer to finals, shoring up their spots in Newcastle Rugby League's top five with wins on Sunday. The big losers in the finals race at the weekend, however, were Souths, Central and Wyong. Early-season front-runners Wyong have slipped to fourth, after suffering their third loss in four games. They lost to Cessnock 16-12 in a scrappy affair at Morry Breen Oval on Sunday. Missing two of their best players in injured duo Luke Huth and Brayden Musgrove, Cessnock produced a gritty performance to notch their fifth consecutive win. After looking in danger of missing the finals little more than a month ago, they are now second. But only a better for-and-against record is keeping them ahead of third-placed The Entrance, who beat Central 20-18 in a topsy-turvy contest at EDSACC Oval on Sunday. That result has left Central, last year's grand finalists, likely requiring three wins in their remaining three games to make the play-offs. They meet Lakes (away) on Wednesday night, before Northern Hawks (home) and Cessnock (away) over the following two weekends. Complicating who might finish where is the fact Cessnock host The Entrance next weekend, and Wests' match against Lakes was postponed on Sunday. Wests were third prior to the weekend but are now fifth. However, they have a game in hand on both Cessnock and The Entrance, and are a win ahead of Central and Souths. Competition-leaders Maitland secured their place in the finals and an historic fifth consecutive minor premiership on Saturday, all but ending South Newcastle's finals hopes with a 24-10 win at Townson Oval. Playing in front of more than 2000 fans on Sleapy's Day, a Souths' charity initiative, the Pickers came from 10-0 down to defeat the home side, scoring five unanswered tries. Trailing 10-6 heading into the second half, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and extend a lengthy winning streak over Souths in recent years. Souths would need to win their next two games, against Wyong and The Entrance, and have a string of highly-unlikely results fall their way to be a chance for the top five. In the other Sunday game, Kurri Kurri beat Macquarie 32-8 at Toronto to improve their record, but the competition's big improvers are in an even worse position than Souths despite moving to the same amount of points on the ladder. They have a terrible for-and-against and face Maitland in the last round after a bye. Returning from injury on Saturday, five-eighth Chad O'Donnell was on song for Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic fourth-straight premiership. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were Maitland's try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. Pickers coach Matt Lantry said he expected to be without versatile back James Bradley in coming games. "Miss a couple of weeks, a minor quad tear," he said. "We don't want to take any risks there, unlikely to play on the weekend but maybe in the last round." Maitland now move on to their old boys' day, and last home game for the regular season, against third-placed Wests on Saturday. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Cessnock, The Entrance (22) Wyong (21), Wests (20), Souths, Central, Kurri (18), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). Maitland are home and hosed, that's what we know. Cessnock and The Entrance are a step closer to finals, shoring up their spots in Newcastle Rugby League's top five with wins on Sunday. The big losers in the finals race at the weekend, however, were Souths, Central and Wyong. Early-season front-runners Wyong have slipped to fourth, after suffering their third loss in four games. They lost to Cessnock 16-12 in a scrappy affair at Morry Breen Oval on Sunday. Missing two of their best players in injured duo Luke Huth and Brayden Musgrove, Cessnock produced a gritty performance to notch their fifth consecutive win. After looking in danger of missing the finals little more than a month ago, they are now second. But only a better for-and-against record is keeping them ahead of third-placed The Entrance, who beat Central 20-18 in a topsy-turvy contest at EDSACC Oval on Sunday. That result has left Central, last year's grand finalists, likely requiring three wins in their remaining three games to make the play-offs. They meet Lakes (away) on Wednesday night, before Northern Hawks (home) and Cessnock (away) over the following two weekends. Complicating who might finish where is the fact Cessnock host The Entrance next weekend, and Wests' match against Lakes was postponed on Sunday. Wests were third prior to the weekend but are now fifth. However, they have a game in hand on both Cessnock and The Entrance, and are a win ahead of Central and Souths. Competition-leaders Maitland secured their place in the finals and an historic fifth consecutive minor premiership on Saturday, all but ending South Newcastle's finals hopes with a 24-10 win at Townson Oval. Playing in front of more than 2000 fans on Sleapy's Day, a Souths' charity initiative, the Pickers came from 10-0 down to defeat the home side, scoring five unanswered tries. Trailing 10-6 heading into the second half, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and extend a lengthy winning streak over Souths in recent years. Souths would need to win their next two games, against Wyong and The Entrance, and have a string of highly-unlikely results fall their way to be a chance for the top five. In the other Sunday game, Kurri Kurri beat Macquarie 32-8 at Toronto to improve their record, but the competition's big improvers are in an even worse position than Souths despite moving to the same amount of points on the ladder. They have a terrible for-and-against and face Maitland in the last round after a bye. Returning from injury on Saturday, five-eighth Chad O'Donnell was on song for Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic fourth-straight premiership. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were Maitland's try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. Pickers coach Matt Lantry said he expected to be without versatile back James Bradley in coming games. "Miss a couple of weeks, a minor quad tear," he said. "We don't want to take any risks there, unlikely to play on the weekend but maybe in the last round." Maitland now move on to their old boys' day, and last home game for the regular season, against third-placed Wests on Saturday. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Cessnock, The Entrance (22) Wyong (21), Wests (20), Souths, Central, Kurri (18), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). Maitland are home and hosed, that's what we know. Cessnock and The Entrance are a step closer to finals, shoring up their spots in Newcastle Rugby League's top five with wins on Sunday. The big losers in the finals race at the weekend, however, were Souths, Central and Wyong. Early-season front-runners Wyong have slipped to fourth, after suffering their third loss in four games. They lost to Cessnock 16-12 in a scrappy affair at Morry Breen Oval on Sunday. Missing two of their best players in injured duo Luke Huth and Brayden Musgrove, Cessnock produced a gritty performance to notch their fifth consecutive win. After looking in danger of missing the finals little more than a month ago, they are now second. But only a better for-and-against record is keeping them ahead of third-placed The Entrance, who beat Central 20-18 in a topsy-turvy contest at EDSACC Oval on Sunday. That result has left Central, last year's grand finalists, likely requiring three wins in their remaining three games to make the play-offs. They meet Lakes (away) on Wednesday night, before Northern Hawks (home) and Cessnock (away) over the following two weekends. Complicating who might finish where is the fact Cessnock host The Entrance next weekend, and Wests' match against Lakes was postponed on Sunday. Wests were third prior to the weekend but are now fifth. However, they have a game in hand on both Cessnock and The Entrance, and are a win ahead of Central and Souths. Competition-leaders Maitland secured their place in the finals and an historic fifth consecutive minor premiership on Saturday, all but ending South Newcastle's finals hopes with a 24-10 win at Townson Oval. Playing in front of more than 2000 fans on Sleapy's Day, a Souths' charity initiative, the Pickers came from 10-0 down to defeat the home side, scoring five unanswered tries. Trailing 10-6 heading into the second half, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and extend a lengthy winning streak over Souths in recent years. Souths would need to win their next two games, against Wyong and The Entrance, and have a string of highly-unlikely results fall their way to be a chance for the top five. In the other Sunday game, Kurri Kurri beat Macquarie 32-8 at Toronto to improve their record, but the competition's big improvers are in an even worse position than Souths despite moving to the same amount of points on the ladder. They have a terrible for-and-against and face Maitland in the last round after a bye. Returning from injury on Saturday, five-eighth Chad O'Donnell was on song for Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic fourth-straight premiership. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were Maitland's try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. Pickers coach Matt Lantry said he expected to be without versatile back James Bradley in coming games. "Miss a couple of weeks, a minor quad tear," he said. "We don't want to take any risks there, unlikely to play on the weekend but maybe in the last round." Maitland now move on to their old boys' day, and last home game for the regular season, against third-placed Wests on Saturday. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Cessnock, The Entrance (22) Wyong (21), Wests (20), Souths, Central, Kurri (18), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). Maitland are home and hosed, that's what we know. Cessnock and The Entrance are a step closer to finals, shoring up their spots in Newcastle Rugby League's top five with wins on Sunday. The big losers in the finals race at the weekend, however, were Souths, Central and Wyong. Early-season front-runners Wyong have slipped to fourth, after suffering their third loss in four games. They lost to Cessnock 16-12 in a scrappy affair at Morry Breen Oval on Sunday. Missing two of their best players in injured duo Luke Huth and Brayden Musgrove, Cessnock produced a gritty performance to notch their fifth consecutive win. After looking in danger of missing the finals little more than a month ago, they are now second. But only a better for-and-against record is keeping them ahead of third-placed The Entrance, who beat Central 20-18 in a topsy-turvy contest at EDSACC Oval on Sunday. That result has left Central, last year's grand finalists, likely requiring three wins in their remaining three games to make the play-offs. They meet Lakes (away) on Wednesday night, before Northern Hawks (home) and Cessnock (away) over the following two weekends. Complicating who might finish where is the fact Cessnock host The Entrance next weekend, and Wests' match against Lakes was postponed on Sunday. Wests were third prior to the weekend but are now fifth. However, they have a game in hand on both Cessnock and The Entrance, and are a win ahead of Central and Souths. Competition-leaders Maitland secured their place in the finals and an historic fifth consecutive minor premiership on Saturday, all but ending South Newcastle's finals hopes with a 24-10 win at Townson Oval. Playing in front of more than 2000 fans on Sleapy's Day, a Souths' charity initiative, the Pickers came from 10-0 down to defeat the home side, scoring five unanswered tries. Trailing 10-6 heading into the second half, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and extend a lengthy winning streak over Souths in recent years. Souths would need to win their next two games, against Wyong and The Entrance, and have a string of highly-unlikely results fall their way to be a chance for the top five. In the other Sunday game, Kurri Kurri beat Macquarie 32-8 at Toronto to improve their record, but the competition's big improvers are in an even worse position than Souths despite moving to the same amount of points on the ladder. They have a terrible for-and-against and face Maitland in the last round after a bye. Returning from injury on Saturday, five-eighth Chad O'Donnell was on song for Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic fourth-straight premiership. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were Maitland's try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. Pickers coach Matt Lantry said he expected to be without versatile back James Bradley in coming games. "Miss a couple of weeks, a minor quad tear," he said. "We don't want to take any risks there, unlikely to play on the weekend but maybe in the last round." Maitland now move on to their old boys' day, and last home game for the regular season, against third-placed Wests on Saturday. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Cessnock, The Entrance (22) Wyong (21), Wests (20), Souths, Central, Kurri (18), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2).
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Maitland all but seal fifth-straight NEWRL minor title with Sleapy's Day win over Souths
Maitland have all but sealed a fifth consecutive minor premiership after defeating South Newcastle 24-10 at Townson Oval on Saturday. The Pickers, notching their sixth consecutive win, overcame the Lions in front of more than 2000 supporters on a boggy pitch during the Merewether club's annual charity event, Sleapy's Day. Souths had shot out to a 10-0 lead in the first half and looked the better side until Maitland hit back a few minutes before half-time. Trailing 10-6, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and one of several they've had over Souths in recent years. It moved them six points clear at the top of the Newcastle Rugby League ladder, ahead of second-placed Wyong who are now only a highly-unlikely mathematical chance of stopping Maitland from claiming a fifth-straight minor title. Maitland would have to lose their two remaining games by significant margins, and Wyong win their next three in similar fashion, to overturn a more than 100-point difference in their for-and-against results. Five-eighth Chad O'Donnell returned from injury and was on song Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic four-straight title. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were the Pickers' try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. The Lions' finals hopes will now likely hinge other results. They are sixth ahead of Sunday's games with two matches left to play in coming weeks. They host Wyong next week before travelling to fifth-placed The Entrance in the last round. In other games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes are at home to Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Cessnock make the trip to Wyong. Central and Lakes' catch-up game scheduled for last Tuesday was postponed to the coming week. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Wyong (21), Wests, Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). Maitland have all but sealed a fifth consecutive minor premiership after defeating South Newcastle 24-10 at Townson Oval on Saturday. The Pickers, notching their sixth consecutive win, overcame the Lions in front of more than 2000 supporters on a boggy pitch during the Merewether club's annual charity event, Sleapy's Day. Souths had shot out to a 10-0 lead in the first half and looked the better side until Maitland hit back a few minutes before half-time. Trailing 10-6, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and one of several they've had over Souths in recent years. It moved them six points clear at the top of the Newcastle Rugby League ladder, ahead of second-placed Wyong who are now only a highly-unlikely mathematical chance of stopping Maitland from claiming a fifth-straight minor title. Maitland would have to lose their two remaining games by significant margins, and Wyong win their next three in similar fashion, to overturn a more than 100-point difference in their for-and-against results. Five-eighth Chad O'Donnell returned from injury and was on song Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic four-straight title. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were the Pickers' try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. The Lions' finals hopes will now likely hinge other results. They are sixth ahead of Sunday's games with two matches left to play in coming weeks. They host Wyong next week before travelling to fifth-placed The Entrance in the last round. In other games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes are at home to Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Cessnock make the trip to Wyong. Central and Lakes' catch-up game scheduled for last Tuesday was postponed to the coming week. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Wyong (21), Wests, Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). Maitland have all but sealed a fifth consecutive minor premiership after defeating South Newcastle 24-10 at Townson Oval on Saturday. The Pickers, notching their sixth consecutive win, overcame the Lions in front of more than 2000 supporters on a boggy pitch during the Merewether club's annual charity event, Sleapy's Day. Souths had shot out to a 10-0 lead in the first half and looked the better side until Maitland hit back a few minutes before half-time. Trailing 10-6, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and one of several they've had over Souths in recent years. It moved them six points clear at the top of the Newcastle Rugby League ladder, ahead of second-placed Wyong who are now only a highly-unlikely mathematical chance of stopping Maitland from claiming a fifth-straight minor title. Maitland would have to lose their two remaining games by significant margins, and Wyong win their next three in similar fashion, to overturn a more than 100-point difference in their for-and-against results. Five-eighth Chad O'Donnell returned from injury and was on song Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic four-straight title. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were the Pickers' try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. The Lions' finals hopes will now likely hinge other results. They are sixth ahead of Sunday's games with two matches left to play in coming weeks. They host Wyong next week before travelling to fifth-placed The Entrance in the last round. In other games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes are at home to Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Cessnock make the trip to Wyong. Central and Lakes' catch-up game scheduled for last Tuesday was postponed to the coming week. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Wyong (21), Wests, Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). Maitland have all but sealed a fifth consecutive minor premiership after defeating South Newcastle 24-10 at Townson Oval on Saturday. The Pickers, notching their sixth consecutive win, overcame the Lions in front of more than 2000 supporters on a boggy pitch during the Merewether club's annual charity event, Sleapy's Day. Souths had shot out to a 10-0 lead in the first half and looked the better side until Maitland hit back a few minutes before half-time. Trailing 10-6, the visitors drew level seven minutes after the break and crossed for a further two tries before the 60th minute to take a commanding 14-point lead in muddy conditions. They held on to claim their sixth victory in a row and one of several they've had over Souths in recent years. It moved them six points clear at the top of the Newcastle Rugby League ladder, ahead of second-placed Wyong who are now only a highly-unlikely mathematical chance of stopping Maitland from claiming a fifth-straight minor title. Maitland would have to lose their two remaining games by significant margins, and Wyong win their next three in similar fashion, to overturn a more than 100-point difference in their for-and-against results. Five-eighth Chad O'Donnell returned from injury and was on song Maitland, who are now on track to claim an historic four-straight title. Jye Bieman-King, Luke Knight, Callan Burgess and Justin Norris were the Pickers' try-scorers, while Tori Freeman-Quay and Tate Grainger crossed for Souths. The Lions' finals hopes will now likely hinge other results. They are sixth ahead of Sunday's games with two matches left to play in coming weeks. They host Wyong next week before travelling to fifth-placed The Entrance in the last round. In other games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes are at home to Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Cessnock make the trip to Wyong. Central and Lakes' catch-up game scheduled for last Tuesday was postponed to the coming week. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (27), Wyong (21), Wests, Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2).
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Sleapy's Day: the man, the charity and Souths' 115-year first
The South Newcastle Lions have been around since 1910, but they're about to achieve a 115-year first. The Lions will wear a blue jersey for the first time when they play the Maitland Pickers on Saturday, a rare deviation from their traditional red and white. The players will don a specially-designed kit for Sleapy's Day, the annual match-day fundraiser run by Souths legend Peter Sleap and his foundation of the same name. The jerseys feature photos of three late cancer sufferers. "Blue is a calming colour, so it's something we thought of to support people in cancer adversity," Sleap said. "We've got three people on the jerseys this year; Ash Smith, Stephen Gee and Hayden Moth. "Blue is a colour that we sat down and went through, and thought 'it's a little bit crazy [for Souths]', but they look great. "We try to change the colours every year. One year we had yellow, another pink for breast cancer and this year is blue. "Each year we try and change the colour so it's a special jersey for the players, and then we go back and auction them at the club. "Hopefully we get forty-to-fifty thousand [dollars] when we auction the Souths and Maitland jerseys." Since 2010, Sleapy's Day has raised tens of thousands of dollars each year to support those battling cancer. It's grown from a one-off event Sleap launched a year after battling throat cancer himself, to a foundation on track to help more than 200 people this year. "Fifteen years ago we used to help one or two people," Sleap said. "It's come a long way. "A lot of hard work, but very rewarding ... who'd have thought we'd still be doing it 15 years later." Sleap and his wife Robynn, who has battled cancer herself in the past year, got the fundraising day up and running but in 2019 the Sleapy's Foundation was formed to formalise the charity work. Several events are held throughout the year, but Sleapy's Day at Souths' home ground of Townson Oval in Merewether remains the main fundraiser. "We're in the process of building a peadiatric-care unit courtyard up at the new hospital," Sleap said. "That's been a significant job for us, raising separate funds for that. "The funds on Sleapy's Day goes back to our core business, which is helping people in the community doing it tough with cancer adversity. "It's been really busy. At the moment we're getting an applicant every second day. "We're on target to help over 200 families this year alone, in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley community. "And that's the great thing about the charity, the money stays local." The foundation offers support in a range of ways, sometimes as simple funding travel costs for medical appointments. Requests for help can be made via the website. Tickets to the popular Newcastle Rugby League match day cost $100, the same price they were in 2010, and include food and drinks. "We're the only organisation in the world that never changes the price," Sleap said. "Just think, we helped a family from the country that couldn't put fuel in the car to get down to the hospital. If you can't be here, buy a virtual ticket or some raffle tickets online." Placed sixth in the men's first-grade competition, level on 18 points with fifth-placed Wests, Souths have plenty to play for against league leaders Maitland, who meet Northern Hawks on Wednesday night. Souths only have three games left to play, and may need to win all of them to ensure a spot in the top five. Wests and Central, who are sixth and also on 18 points, have a game in hand on Souths. "A very hard run home, but 'Bobcat' will definitely have them up for the game," Sleap said, referring to Souths coach Andrew Ryan. "We haven't beaten Maitland on a Sleapy's Day, but to be the best, you have to beat the best ... and we just have to match their intensity." The first of four matches kicks off at 10.15am. First grade is at 3pm. Inspecting Townson Oval on Tuesday, Sleap was confident the ground would be in reasonable shape. "The rain scared us a bit but sunshine for the next few days ... we're definitely going ahead," he said. In other men's first-grade games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes host Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Wyong are at home to Cessnock. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (23), Wyong (21), Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Wests, Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). The South Newcastle Lions have been around since 1910, but they're about to achieve a 115-year first. The Lions will wear a blue jersey for the first time when they play the Maitland Pickers on Saturday, a rare deviation from their traditional red and white. The players will don a specially-designed kit for Sleapy's Day, the annual match-day fundraiser run by Souths legend Peter Sleap and his foundation of the same name. The jerseys feature photos of three late cancer sufferers. "Blue is a calming colour, so it's something we thought of to support people in cancer adversity," Sleap said. "We've got three people on the jerseys this year; Ash Smith, Stephen Gee and Hayden Moth. "Blue is a colour that we sat down and went through, and thought 'it's a little bit crazy [for Souths]', but they look great. "We try to change the colours every year. One year we had yellow, another pink for breast cancer and this year is blue. "Each year we try and change the colour so it's a special jersey for the players, and then we go back and auction them at the club. "Hopefully we get forty-to-fifty thousand [dollars] when we auction the Souths and Maitland jerseys." Since 2010, Sleapy's Day has raised tens of thousands of dollars each year to support those battling cancer. It's grown from a one-off event Sleap launched a year after battling throat cancer himself, to a foundation on track to help more than 200 people this year. "Fifteen years ago we used to help one or two people," Sleap said. "It's come a long way. "A lot of hard work, but very rewarding ... who'd have thought we'd still be doing it 15 years later." Sleap and his wife Robynn, who has battled cancer herself in the past year, got the fundraising day up and running but in 2019 the Sleapy's Foundation was formed to formalise the charity work. Several events are held throughout the year, but Sleapy's Day at Souths' home ground of Townson Oval in Merewether remains the main fundraiser. "We're in the process of building a peadiatric-care unit courtyard up at the new hospital," Sleap said. "That's been a significant job for us, raising separate funds for that. "The funds on Sleapy's Day goes back to our core business, which is helping people in the community doing it tough with cancer adversity. "It's been really busy. At the moment we're getting an applicant every second day. "We're on target to help over 200 families this year alone, in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley community. "And that's the great thing about the charity, the money stays local." The foundation offers support in a range of ways, sometimes as simple funding travel costs for medical appointments. Requests for help can be made via the website. Tickets to the popular Newcastle Rugby League match day cost $100, the same price they were in 2010, and include food and drinks. "We're the only organisation in the world that never changes the price," Sleap said. "Just think, we helped a family from the country that couldn't put fuel in the car to get down to the hospital. If you can't be here, buy a virtual ticket or some raffle tickets online." Placed sixth in the men's first-grade competition, level on 18 points with fifth-placed Wests, Souths have plenty to play for against league leaders Maitland, who meet Northern Hawks on Wednesday night. Souths only have three games left to play, and may need to win all of them to ensure a spot in the top five. Wests and Central, who are sixth and also on 18 points, have a game in hand on Souths. "A very hard run home, but 'Bobcat' will definitely have them up for the game," Sleap said, referring to Souths coach Andrew Ryan. "We haven't beaten Maitland on a Sleapy's Day, but to be the best, you have to beat the best ... and we just have to match their intensity." The first of four matches kicks off at 10.15am. First grade is at 3pm. Inspecting Townson Oval on Tuesday, Sleap was confident the ground would be in reasonable shape. "The rain scared us a bit but sunshine for the next few days ... we're definitely going ahead," he said. In other men's first-grade games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes host Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Wyong are at home to Cessnock. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (23), Wyong (21), Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Wests, Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). The South Newcastle Lions have been around since 1910, but they're about to achieve a 115-year first. The Lions will wear a blue jersey for the first time when they play the Maitland Pickers on Saturday, a rare deviation from their traditional red and white. The players will don a specially-designed kit for Sleapy's Day, the annual match-day fundraiser run by Souths legend Peter Sleap and his foundation of the same name. The jerseys feature photos of three late cancer sufferers. "Blue is a calming colour, so it's something we thought of to support people in cancer adversity," Sleap said. "We've got three people on the jerseys this year; Ash Smith, Stephen Gee and Hayden Moth. "Blue is a colour that we sat down and went through, and thought 'it's a little bit crazy [for Souths]', but they look great. "We try to change the colours every year. One year we had yellow, another pink for breast cancer and this year is blue. "Each year we try and change the colour so it's a special jersey for the players, and then we go back and auction them at the club. "Hopefully we get forty-to-fifty thousand [dollars] when we auction the Souths and Maitland jerseys." Since 2010, Sleapy's Day has raised tens of thousands of dollars each year to support those battling cancer. It's grown from a one-off event Sleap launched a year after battling throat cancer himself, to a foundation on track to help more than 200 people this year. "Fifteen years ago we used to help one or two people," Sleap said. "It's come a long way. "A lot of hard work, but very rewarding ... who'd have thought we'd still be doing it 15 years later." Sleap and his wife Robynn, who has battled cancer herself in the past year, got the fundraising day up and running but in 2019 the Sleapy's Foundation was formed to formalise the charity work. Several events are held throughout the year, but Sleapy's Day at Souths' home ground of Townson Oval in Merewether remains the main fundraiser. "We're in the process of building a peadiatric-care unit courtyard up at the new hospital," Sleap said. "That's been a significant job for us, raising separate funds for that. "The funds on Sleapy's Day goes back to our core business, which is helping people in the community doing it tough with cancer adversity. "It's been really busy. At the moment we're getting an applicant every second day. "We're on target to help over 200 families this year alone, in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley community. "And that's the great thing about the charity, the money stays local." The foundation offers support in a range of ways, sometimes as simple funding travel costs for medical appointments. Requests for help can be made via the website. Tickets to the popular Newcastle Rugby League match day cost $100, the same price they were in 2010, and include food and drinks. "We're the only organisation in the world that never changes the price," Sleap said. "Just think, we helped a family from the country that couldn't put fuel in the car to get down to the hospital. If you can't be here, buy a virtual ticket or some raffle tickets online." Placed sixth in the men's first-grade competition, level on 18 points with fifth-placed Wests, Souths have plenty to play for against league leaders Maitland, who meet Northern Hawks on Wednesday night. Souths only have three games left to play, and may need to win all of them to ensure a spot in the top five. Wests and Central, who are sixth and also on 18 points, have a game in hand on Souths. "A very hard run home, but 'Bobcat' will definitely have them up for the game," Sleap said, referring to Souths coach Andrew Ryan. "We haven't beaten Maitland on a Sleapy's Day, but to be the best, you have to beat the best ... and we just have to match their intensity." The first of four matches kicks off at 10.15am. First grade is at 3pm. Inspecting Townson Oval on Tuesday, Sleap was confident the ground would be in reasonable shape. "The rain scared us a bit but sunshine for the next few days ... we're definitely going ahead," he said. In other men's first-grade games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes host Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Wyong are at home to Cessnock. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (23), Wyong (21), Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Wests, Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2). The South Newcastle Lions have been around since 1910, but they're about to achieve a 115-year first. The Lions will wear a blue jersey for the first time when they play the Maitland Pickers on Saturday, a rare deviation from their traditional red and white. The players will don a specially-designed kit for Sleapy's Day, the annual match-day fundraiser run by Souths legend Peter Sleap and his foundation of the same name. The jerseys feature photos of three late cancer sufferers. "Blue is a calming colour, so it's something we thought of to support people in cancer adversity," Sleap said. "We've got three people on the jerseys this year; Ash Smith, Stephen Gee and Hayden Moth. "Blue is a colour that we sat down and went through, and thought 'it's a little bit crazy [for Souths]', but they look great. "We try to change the colours every year. One year we had yellow, another pink for breast cancer and this year is blue. "Each year we try and change the colour so it's a special jersey for the players, and then we go back and auction them at the club. "Hopefully we get forty-to-fifty thousand [dollars] when we auction the Souths and Maitland jerseys." Since 2010, Sleapy's Day has raised tens of thousands of dollars each year to support those battling cancer. It's grown from a one-off event Sleap launched a year after battling throat cancer himself, to a foundation on track to help more than 200 people this year. "Fifteen years ago we used to help one or two people," Sleap said. "It's come a long way. "A lot of hard work, but very rewarding ... who'd have thought we'd still be doing it 15 years later." Sleap and his wife Robynn, who has battled cancer herself in the past year, got the fundraising day up and running but in 2019 the Sleapy's Foundation was formed to formalise the charity work. Several events are held throughout the year, but Sleapy's Day at Souths' home ground of Townson Oval in Merewether remains the main fundraiser. "We're in the process of building a peadiatric-care unit courtyard up at the new hospital," Sleap said. "That's been a significant job for us, raising separate funds for that. "The funds on Sleapy's Day goes back to our core business, which is helping people in the community doing it tough with cancer adversity. "It's been really busy. At the moment we're getting an applicant every second day. "We're on target to help over 200 families this year alone, in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley community. "And that's the great thing about the charity, the money stays local." The foundation offers support in a range of ways, sometimes as simple funding travel costs for medical appointments. Requests for help can be made via the website. Tickets to the popular Newcastle Rugby League match day cost $100, the same price they were in 2010, and include food and drinks. "We're the only organisation in the world that never changes the price," Sleap said. "Just think, we helped a family from the country that couldn't put fuel in the car to get down to the hospital. If you can't be here, buy a virtual ticket or some raffle tickets online." Placed sixth in the men's first-grade competition, level on 18 points with fifth-placed Wests, Souths have plenty to play for against league leaders Maitland, who meet Northern Hawks on Wednesday night. Souths only have three games left to play, and may need to win all of them to ensure a spot in the top five. Wests and Central, who are sixth and also on 18 points, have a game in hand on Souths. "A very hard run home, but 'Bobcat' will definitely have them up for the game," Sleap said, referring to Souths coach Andrew Ryan. "We haven't beaten Maitland on a Sleapy's Day, but to be the best, you have to beat the best ... and we just have to match their intensity." The first of four matches kicks off at 10.15am. First grade is at 3pm. Inspecting Townson Oval on Tuesday, Sleap was confident the ground would be in reasonable shape. "The rain scared us a bit but sunshine for the next few days ... we're definitely going ahead," he said. In other men's first-grade games this weekend, all at 3pm on Sunday, Lakes host Wests, Central travel to The Entrance, Macquarie welcome Kurri Kurri and Wyong are at home to Cessnock. POINTS TABLE: Maitland (23), Wyong (21), Cessnock, The Entrance (20), Wests, Souths, Central (18), Kurri (16), Macquarie (12), Lakes (10), Northern (2).
