Looking back at August

August was a huge month across the club with plenty to celebrate as we headed into finals! From senior rugby and women’s rugby highlights and Elimination Finals, to our juniors gearing up for their finals and presentation day, plus some fantastic representative honours for our young players – there’s no shortage of Two Blues achievements to share. Our netballers have been storming through finals, the Japan Tour boys are smashing their fundraising efforts, and we’ve got some exciting events on the horizon including our annual Golf Day.

Dive in below for all the latest updates from across the Wanderers family 💙🩵

Senior Rugby Update

FRIDAY NIGHT 4’S

The Friday Night 4’s wrapped up their season on Friday 15 August with their final clash against Maitland, going down 20–0 to sadly miss finals contention. A great effort from the boys under the lights this year – bring on 2026!

MENS

Both the women’s and men’s teams headed up to Maitland together for our annual bus trip. Third Grade stunned a strong Maitland side with a gutsy second-half comeback, clinching victory by a single point and leaving the opposition shell-shocked. First and Second Grade fought hard against two relentless sides that refused to budge. The bus trip home was, as always, a wild affair – with WWE wrestlers of all shapes, sizes and colours “making appearances” at pubs along the way to the Commy. If only the Wallabies had beaten the Lions, it would have capped the night perfectly!

A round of washed-out grounds meant a Wednesday Night Lights catch-up for 1st and 2nd Grade against University. Unfortunately, Uni proved too strong on the night. The boys bounced back with two solid wins against Southern Beaches that following Saturday, though 3rds fell short in a must-win game to keep their finals hopes alive.

3rd Grade finally played their catch-up against University, relocated from Number 2 due to soccer. They showed grit and determination in a tight contest but were unable to get the win, which ended their finals chances.

The final round of footy at Passmore Oval was a wet and wild affair. 3rds were eager to finish their season on a high but were edged out in the dying stages of the game. P2s were fortunate to avoid the worst of the storm, with the second half abandoned due to heavy rain and lightning – but not before securing a comfortable win. P1s faced a must-win clash and it didn’t disappoint. Players – and even the referee – were caked in mud as the match went down to the wire. In the final moments, AT popped up on the wing to dive over in the corner, sealing a hard-earned finals berth for the Two Blues.

In the Elimination-Finals at the end of the month our P1’s were eliminated from the competition by a dominating Hawks team, and Uni ended our P2’s finals hopes by just one point. QA huge pat on the backs to both teams who put in a solid effort – we’ll get ‘em next year boys!

WOMENS

On the home stretch to finals, the women’s side headed up to Maitland on the bus but were tested by a strong outfit, going down 20–10.

They bounced back in style with a thumping 52–0 win over Scone, with festivities continuing all the way home – a big thanks to the Commy for the use of the Courtesy Bus!

Another dominant win against the Brown Snakes at home secured the team’s place in the finals.

After a week of wet weather left Number 2 looking more like a swimming pool, the girls once again made the trip to Scone thanks to the Commy Bus. The match turned into a mud-fest, capped off with slip-and-slide celebrations and hearty gravy rolls – a huge thanks to Scone for hosting such a memorable day!

To finish off the season, the team travelled up to Nelson Bay and put on a thumping 78-0 performance, solidifying the team as a force to be reckoned with for the finals. Look out Merewether!!

In the Elimination Final at the end of the month, our girls stormed the field and took out the Greens in a close battle for the win, and now advance to the Preliminary Final this week against Maitland. Good luck girls! 💙🏉

Junior Rugby Update

Season Finals

The regular season has wrapped up, and now it’s time for the finals! Our juniors have had a fantastic season, with great results across many teams. We’re excited to announce that Wanderers Juniors will once again host the Grand Final Weekend this year at No. 2 Sportsground on Saturday, 13 September.

KEY FINALS DATES:

Saturday 30 August – Major Semi Finals (Hosted by Maitland Juniors)
Sunday 31 August – Minor Semi Finals (Hosted by Maitland Juniors)
Saturday 6 September – Finals (Hosted by Singleton Juniors)
Saturday 20 September – Grand Final (Hosted by Wanderers Juniors)

Come along, cheer on our teams, and celebrate the end to a great season!

End Season Presentation

Our Junior End of Season Presentation will be held on Saturday, 27 September, from 10:30am to 12:30pm. This event is a chance for our community to come together and celebrate the 2025 season, while recognising the efforts and achievements of our youngest Wanderers. The morning will feature team presentations and special awards, followed by a lunch for all junior players at 12:30pm. There will also be plenty of fun activities to keep the kids entertained throughout the day. In the afternoon, we will continue the celebrations with our senior rugby and netball presentations.

Spring 7s

Our Spring 7s competition kicks off Friday 17 October 2025 and we’re excited to have teams for girls’ and boys’ across various age groups. Cost will be $150 for new players and $100 for exisiting players.

Eligible year of birth for each age group:

U13: 2012 & 2013
U15: 2010 & 2011
U17: 2008 & 2009

We are looking for someone to assist in the coordination of the season, if this is something you’d like to get involved with, please get in touch with Ben Towers on 0438 883 203.

Waratahs Squad Announcement

Congratulations to Flynn Strachan from our U15s, who has earned selection in the Waratahs U15 Squad. Flynn will line up for Team Gavin in the Next Gen Cup, to be held on 20–21 September at Camden Rugby Club. The tournament will showcase four U15 teams, each named in honour of NSW Waratahs greats. Following the event, final selections will be made for the Waratahs U15 team, who will travel to Brisbane in October to take on the Queensland Reds. This is a tremendous achievement for one of our young Wanderers, and we wish Flynn every success in the tournament and beyond.

Rugby 7s Championships

We are very proud of our six Wanderers who have been selected to represent the Hunter in the Wildfires U11s 7s Squad. Congratulations to Finn Doyle, Archie Holbert, Mackenzie Holbert, Lucas Janowski, Sonny Small, and Vaughn Taljaard, who will travel to Mudgee on 28 and 29 September to compete at the Rugby 7s State Championships. This is a fantastic achievement for these young players and we wish them the very best.

Japan Tour

SUCCESSFUL TRIVIA FUNDRAISER AT GRILL’D!

Our under 15’s recent trivia night fundraiser at Grill’d was a huge success, raising an incredible $1,500 towards their Japan Tour in 2026.

The competition was fierce — so much so that first place came down to a thrilling Rock, Scissors, Paper showdown between the Under 16s (the Chocy Milks) and Under 15s (Toe Ticklers) teams! The Toe Ticklers came our the winners albeit with the help of “google” we are sure.

Congratulations to all who participated, and thank you to everyone who came out and contributed to the fun and fundraising. Your support makes a difference!

JAPAN FUNDRAISERS

Our U15s are continuing their efforts to raise funds for their 2026 Japan tour with the following activities:

During the month of September we are participating in the Grill’d local matters program where your coin in the jar could earn us up to $500.
They are also continuing their ‘Cans for Japan.’ If you have spare cans or bottles to donate, please reach out to Brooke at brooke.cotterell@wanderersrugby.com.au to arrange a collection.
They will be at the Grand Final in September with various fundraising initiatives.
The boys are also selling raffle tickets with the prize being drawn at the Wanderers Presentation Day. If you would like to purchase a ticket please email brooke.cotterell@wanderersrugby.com.au.

Netball Update

Six Wanderers Netball teams qualified for the 2025 finals series – an incredible achievement for the club! After the qualifying finals, five of those teams were still alive and chasing glory.

Preliminary Finals then took place on Saturday – with our Electric and Blueys teams sadly being knocked out, but with Navy taking the win to set up an all Wanderers Grand Final in Division 6 with Navy V Drifts, and of course our Blue Diamonds in the Division 8 GF against UONNC No. 1 Team!

Get down to the courts this Saturday to support our teams in the Grand Finals! Let’s go, Two Blues 💙🏐

Let’s go, Two Blues! 💙🏐

Upcoming Events

Wanderers Golf Day

26 SEPTEMBER 2025

Friday 26 September 2025

Newcastle Golf Club – 4 Vardon Rd, Fern Bay NSW 2295

Shotgun start at 8am | Bus departs No. 2 Sportsground at 6:40am
Bacon & egg rolls + coffee from 7am
$760 per team of 4 – includes breakfast, lunch, golf & prizes
Hole Sponsorship: $1320 – includes everything above + promo opportunities & 2 x golf carts per group

It’s always a great day out—whether you’re swinging clubs or sponsoring holes, don’t miss it!

Sponsors Shout Out

MAXIM PRIVATE CLIENTS

A big thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Maxim Private Clients – new to the Wanderers club in 2025. Specialising in wealth creation and preservation, retirement planning, estate planning and insurance advice, their expert team are dedicated to helping clients achieve financial security and peace of mind.

We’re proud to have Maxim Private Clients as part of the Two Blues family and are grateful for their support of the club.

Find out more at 👉 www.maximprivate.au

Blues News | August 2025 Edition