Rugby league knockout carnival to host top indigenous talent

LISMORE will host the Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Carnival at Oakes Oval, with the best Indigenous talent from across the country competing.

About 20 teams will vie for the $10,000 prize in men’s and women’s competitions over a busy three days starting Friday, September 19.

NRL players Brian Kelly and Cody Walker are regulars at the event, while champion centre Greg Inglis played in 2019.

Kelly and Walker will likely play again this year with the Gold Coast Titans and South Sydney Rabbitohs missing out on the NRL semi-finals.

About 75,000 people attended last year, with the carnival the first major competition played at the upgraded facilities, with matches also contested next door at Crozier Field.

“This event is a vital part of Lismore’s cultural and sporting landscape, bringing not only a boost to the local economy,” a council spokesperson said.

“It also provides a valuable space for Aboriginal communities from Lismore and beyond to come together.”

The carnival is run by the Northern United Club and is a lead-in to the state knockout carnival, which is usually held on the October long weekend.

Local teams competing in the Lismore carnival include Cabbage Tree Island, Casino, Muli Muli and Tabulam.

Nearly all clan groups of the Bundjalung people have been represented, with the event outgrowing its previous venue at Red Devil Park in Byron Bay.

Cabbage Tree Island and Tweed have won it in recent years, while there are often teams which can field three generations of family members.

“It’s an honour to put on a showcase event like this that creates good family and community harmony,” event organiser Chris Binge said.

“It gives people in outlying communities the opportunity to come together.”

Spectators are encouraged to attend, with the games officiated by referees from the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League competition.