Wagga Brothers under eights running rampant in new season

Co-coach Jaorrd Maher said the club rotates players through teams to give them the best opportunity to play with a range of teammates.

"We're having a great year, we've been hit again with COVID and the flu so that's been a little bit disruptive but they love it, they're having a really good time," Maher said.

"It's a big advantage for us, the other teams stick to their colours, but our boys have always mixed up each week and I think it's been a really good thing.

"They get to meet mates from different schools and they're not stuck in one team, they do enjoy that social side."

This age group has nearly tripled since their under six year and Maher said a great campaign from Group Nine Junior Rugby League has helped bring more boys to the sport.

The boys have been progressing well and enjoying some new rules in their games from previous years.

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"This year it's the first year they've got to pass it twice, they've got the dummy half and the first receiver bib, so they've got to at least pass it to the first receiver and he's got to pass it on," Maher said.

"They do enjoy that, they get in there and everyone gets their chance as both, and they start to think they've all got positions, some of them thing they're the halfbacks, you can tell that they do watch the NRL players, they start stepping and trying to be like they're idols."

Working hard on their passes and tackling safely at training sessions, Maher said the group has done well to put what they've trained onto the field.

"They are happy to come to training and try and do what we practise at training on the game day," he said.

"We put a lot of effort into it tackling at training just to make sure they get it right and get their head in the right place and they tackle low, so they've learnt just the fundamentals of that and they're getting the idea of spreading out and passing the ball and backing up their plays."

Though having a great time out on field and trying their best to put their new skills into action, Maher said the coaches are reminded they are only under eights every now and then, with their "puppy dog concentration" sometimes derailing plans.

"They love helping each other out and that's a big thing with us, we said 'your Brothers boys now, these guys could be friends for the rest of your life, so you have got to help each other out' and we make sure they work as a team and try to get them to shake hands after training and such," he said.

Enjoying being on the road and travelling to play, Maher said it's an exciting time for the young players, thanks to dedication from their parents.

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