Griffith-born Tallon Smith loves all sports but rugby league has captured his heart. Photo: Supplied.
Tallon Smith wants to do all he can to keep grassroots rugby league alive.
The 21-year-old’s love for the game started when he played his first match for the Griffith Waratahs at age eight. He then moved to Albury where he continued to play but started to see a lot of Riverina clubs fold, as towns struggled with declining populations, revenue and media coverage.
As a teenager, he founded Battlers for Bush Footy in 2021, a website which sought to provide match reports that regional newspapers no longer have the resources to cover. We caught up with him to find out how he’s trying to revive weekend footy, why it’s important, his sporting highlight and career goal.
Why did you start your own rugby league website?
I’d noticed how much newspaper coverage of regional sport has declined. A lot of papers have folded, or they’re behind a paywall and the print edition only comes out once a week, on a Saturday which is six days after the big matches.
Once, I picked up a copy of the Griffith paper edition from 2006 – the back pages had photos and reports from all the weekend sports, but you don’t see that anymore.
This means the clubs lose exposure and people don’t get to keep up with how their team is going.
I wanted to think of ways I could advocate for teams that were struggling. Albury was doing it tough during COVID, as were clubs like Cootamundra, Temora and Junee. Players were dropped out and there were so many clubs going into recess. I figured that writing would be a good way to give them free publicity.
Tallon interviewing Aaron Gorell after Gundagai’s premiership win. Photo: Supplied.
Why is it important to keep bush footy alive? Can’t we just watch the NRL?
Bush footy is the lifeblood of many small towns. They’re important for the community wellbeing. It provides physical activity; it gives the youth something to do to keep them out of trouble. It’s also important for the older people, bringing them together in a social setting on the weekend to watch games. The rugby league clubs also often lead fundraising drives for the town.
We’re also a great breeding group for the NRL; so many top players have come from the Riverina, like Michael Henderson and Ben Jeffery. A lot of them then come back to their small towns and coach.
Does your work feature in print too?
A few years ago, I contacted the Hay paper Riverine Grazier to write for them and they got me to cover the ProTen final between Hay and Ivanhoe. I write stories for them every now and again. The Hillston Spectator also publish my content every Wednesday during the season.
Why do you need to get your content into newspapers?
A lot of older people aren’t tech savvy. There are people in their 70s who prefer to read print and those in their 90s who have no idea how to use a computer, but still want to find out about the weekend footy results. That’s why I’ve tried to form partnerships with local papers, to be able to put my content in their publications.
I prefer to read newspapers too. People think I’m an old man for doing so, but it’s working out for me; I won tickets to this year’s grand final from the Sydney Morning Herald after entering a competition.
What NRL team do you support?
I wanted to support a team that wasn’t so great, so I go for Souths. They were wooden spooners the year I was born. I back Souths because I’ve always loved the underdog. I love the story of the battler rising; if the same team keeps winning, sport just gets boring.
Your best sporting memory?
The single best night of my entire life was watching Cronulla win the grand final in 2016, with Griffith boy Andrew Fifita scoring the winning try. It was great for my dad who’d been supporting them for 40 years and finally saw them win their first premiership.
At the NRL grand final with his dad and Sharks legend Paul Gallen. Photo: Supplied.
Ultimate career goal?
In maybe 40 years’ time, I’d love to be a Roy Masters type journalist, writing analysis pieces for the Sydney Morning Herald. He’s the benchmark. But before that, I don’t just want to go to the big city, I want to give back to the regions. I need to practise what I preach so I’m leaning towards returning to the Riverina to do sports journalism.
