A culture of passion: Dunedoo side heads to grand final with a perfect season

In the Dunedoo Rugby League Club's milestone 100^th year, the Dunedoo Swanettes league tag side have remained undefeated and are set to face rivals the Narromine Jets this weekend to claim the grand final.

In April the team won the Castlereagh League Tag Knockout in the final, scoring 20-6 against Narromine to claim not only the Knockout title for 2023 but also to be the first ever recipients of the Jessica Skinner Cup

Can the Swanettes go all the way? Their coach Jack Guan thinks so, crediting the team's perfect season to a culture of passion and a positivity.

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We've had a good year. I think the girls really wanted it this year considering its our 100 year, but yeah, we've been training hard," he said.

"I think that we were carrying with us the fact that it is our 100^th year. we've had a few girls come home - we had a few girls from Sydney and Newcastle this year and have found work in Dunedoo just to play football for the 100 years. So the vibe has been really good around the club this year and we've been training a lot harder than we have in our previous years.

"I've just found that the group of girls we have this year are very tight-knit. They're all pretty much local so they all grew up together and there's just a really good culture among the club this year."

Captain Lauren Sullivan who recently moved back to Dunedoo to play footy in the club's 100^th year said the side want to give something back to the community after so much support throughout the season.

"We've performed really well this year but we still have one more [game] to go. but it's just been great to play with all the girls, we've worked hard this year, it's been good," she said.

"It's so special, even just driving down the main street there's green and white in businesses and the kids are at the school saying 'go the Swanettes' and there's photos of us... there's supporters buses going out on Saturday... it gives me goosebumps just thinking about the support we have and the girls are really grateful for that."

Lauren's bond with footy runs even deeper, with the Sullivans being a part of the club for three generations.

"It's a really special year for the Dunedoo club in general, the 100th year of the club. My dad played and his father too... so there's three generations having played. There's a lot of meaning to it, this club is so special and we want to give something back, we are really looking forward to Saturday," she said.

The Swanettes will face the Narromine Jets at Billy Dunn Oval in Gulgong on Saturday, September 9. Reserve Grade will kick off at 11.30am with other grades to follow.