THEIR presence on the Charles Sturt University and Bathurst sporting landscapes has grown significantly in recent years.
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Yet it is doubtful that anyone from the CSU Mungoes ever thought they would get an opportunity like they will have later this month when the biggest name in rugby league broadcasting calls one of their games.
The club announced yesterday that the Continuous Call Team, led by Ray Hadley, will be in Bathurst on May 31. They will give a full call of the game between CSU Yellow and the Orange Barbarians.
In the last couple of years Hadley and his fellow commentators, including Andrew Moore and ex-Test stars Steve Roach and Bob Fulton, have made a habit of broadcasting country rugby league matches in the absence of NRL games on a given day.
In the same year that they celebrate their 40th anniversary, the CSU club have pulled off the biggest coup in their history.
The Continuous Call previously broadcast an edition of their show from Bathurst Panthers in 2012.
“One of the boys, our ground manager Dean Hodges, wrote an email to them during one of their shows explaining that it was our 40th year and that we’re a fairly small club but one that has a pretty proud history,” CSU club president James Dunston explained.
“Ray actually read it out on his show and soon after that, the producer emailed Dean and said that they wanted to make it happen.
“A representative for their show came up this morning [Tuesday] to have a look at the facilities at Diggings Oval and make sure it would be possible and now it is all ready to go ahead.”
On the back of a huge amount of work from previous president Andrew Banasik to turn the club from one that battled for numbers into one that has two talented teams, it has been a busy couple of years for the Mungoes.
A decision to leave the Tertiary League and instead enter two teams in the Centennial Coal Cup has paid rich dividends with a premiership and a runners-up finish to their credit so far in two seasons.
Prior to that, long-time co-ordinator Joel Begnell had his hands full just ensuring that the club could get teams on the paddock each week. It was something that didn’t always happen.
With Dunston and the rest of the committee building on their progress now, May 31 looms as one of the most important dates in the club’s existence.
“It is just unreal, for the club it is just an insane feeling at the moment to know this is going to happen and especially as we celebrate 40 years,” he said.
“We’re going to stage it on ladies day, so we’re hoping for a big crowd up there. We’re still in a bit of shock about it all to be honest.
“It would be great to see a lot of the past players up there as well. We’d have loved to have done it on old boys day, but that wasn’t something that we were going to be able to work.
“The CSU Blue team will also be playing that day and we’re hoping to get some of the Eglinton Eels junior teams that some of the boys look after playing there in the build up as well and really make a huge day of it for everyone.”