Hayden Diggins.
The Junee Diesels First Grade squad is gearing up for the second half of another competitive campaign in the 2026 Group 9 First Grade – Great Northern Premiership.
Junee has had mixed results so far in the competition, losing some important games, but also winning a fair few tough ones.
The Diesels kicked off on April 19 at Anzac Park against the Gundagai Tigers, coming away with a huge 18 – 14 win against the current club on top of the ladder.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs gave the Diesels their first loss of the season in round 2 with a 28 – 22 loss at home. The Young Cherrypickers beat the Diesels in round 3 at Alfred Oval 36 – 26, and then lost to Southcity Bulls at Harris Park 22 – 18.
Junee had a great 30 -10 victory against Albury Thunder in round 5 at home and followed it up with a 28 – 20 win against Tumut in round 6 at Twickenham Oval.
The remainder of the Diesels’ regular season fixtures (as currently listed) is as follows:
Round 7 (13 June) vs. Wagga Brothers Laurie Daley Oval
Round 8 (21 June) vs. Temora Dragons at Nixon Park
Round 9 (27 June) vs. Kangaroos Wagga at Laurie Daley Oval
Round 10 (4 July) vs. Gundagai Tigers at Laurie Daley Oval
Round 11 (11 July) vs. Cootamundra Bulldogs at Les Boyd Oval.
Round 12 (18 July) vs. Young Cherrypickers at Laurie Daley Oval
Round 13 (26 July) vs. South City Bulls at Laurie Daley Oval
Round 14 (8 August) vs. Albury Thunder at Greenfield Park
Round 15 (16 August) vs. Tumut Blues at Laurie Daley Oval
Round 16 (22 August) vs. Wagga Brothers at Geohex Stadium
David Holt, President of the Junee Diesels, said, “Not everything has gone to plan, but it’s definitely going very well. We’ve had a great start to the season.
“The supporter base that we’ve got is growing this year is a lot bigger than last year. That’s probably got a fair bit to do with the centenary as well. Each year we’ve gone along, we are getting more and more support, and that is always an encouraging sign that things are going in the right direction. You have got that community support.
“We would like to win more games. We have got a fair bit on this season, being the Centenary and get through your usual routine from season to season, as well as the extras being the Centenary and organise functions and things with that to celebrate 100 years of the Diesels in style.
“We thank the community for their continued support. There’s plenty of good football down here, and it’s really worthwhile watching.
“A highlight was the first round when our first grade toppled Gundagai straight off the bat. That’s a fairly significant goal to take out last year’s premiers early on in the season.
“The girls tackle is going from strength to strength.
“Really, all the teams as the season has gone on, they’ve all improved, and all the hard work they’ve put in at training, through the preseason and everything like that, is starting to pay off.
“That structure, that network is getting better and better. It is a good product.
“There are a lot of young players in the League Tag; they’re gaining experience with each game and improving all the time. Then the 18’s likewise, it was two separate teams last year, so they’ve learned how to gel together this year and are starting to put together some good footy, some good passages of play.
“The women’s tackle, they’ve improved from the start of the season, even though they haven’t had many games, you can see an improvement in their game from week to week.
“The senior men’s, we’ve got that depth. There are enough players there for us to have that depth, and they are very competitive as well within the competition.”
The Diesels will be looking to build momentum as they navigate a tough draw against traditional Group 9 powerhouses, with the ultimate goal of positioning themselves for a deep finals run later in the year.
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