PAKENHAM EELS LAUNCH JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE CLINICS TO ENGAGE NEW PLAYERS IN LOVING THE GAME OF RUGBY LEAGUE INTO 2025

Junior Rugby League clinics aim to build a love for the game with fun game based structure and fundamental skills

The Pakenham Eels Rugby League Club and Touch Association, based at Comely Banks in Officer, are launching Come and Try Junior Rugby League Clinics aimed to build ,ale and female participants with a simple and fun introduction to the sport. These Junior Rugby League Clinics will focus on participants with limited to no experience in playing the sport previously with the hope that players will have a positive experience and wish to join the club for the 2025 Melbourne Storm Junior League Competition.

JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE CLINICS – Scheduled Dates

The schedule for the Junior Rugby League Clinics will run at the end of November and through into December with the following dates and times locked in:

Tuesday 26th of November (6 pm start)

Tuesday 3rd of December (6 pm start)

Tuesday 10th of December (6 pm start)

Tuesday 17th of December (6 pm start)

WHAT WILL THE JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE CLINICS COVER

These junior Rugby League Clinics will focus on key areas as an introduction to the game of rugby league including the following:

– Learning the basics of holding, catching and passing the ball.

– Learning how to play the ball correctly.

– Introduction to the tackle and defending.

– Non-contact fun games to apply the above skills 

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

If your child is aged between 10 years of age and 17 tears of age, please register to attend the Junior Rugby League Clinics by clicking HERE.

2025 JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE SEASON

The Storm Junior League is the partnership between Melbourne Storm and NRL Victoria, that sees all junior rugby league competitions in Victoria from Under 6’s to Under 18’s, branded as the Storm Junior League.

Within that competition structure sits various modified forms of Rugby League. Grades Under 6’s to Under 12’s are mixed gender competitions, however from Under 12’s and above, the competition is split into specific male and female competitions.

Under 6’s League Tag (ages 4 to 6): A heavily modified non-contact form of Rugby League on a 40m x 20m size field, this grade designed to allow male and female participants the opportunity to learn basic ball skill and coordination, as well as being an entry point for team sport. The game features tags on the players waists, removing the contact aspect for maximum running and opportunity to get their hands on the ball.

Under 7’s League Tag: Played under the same conditions as Under 6’s League Tag, players are introduced to tackling during the season under the NRL’s ‘tackle ready’ program. During the season, under 7’s will transition to tackle after undertaking multiple tackling clinics and gala days to ensure safe tackling and landing.

Under 8’s and Under 9’s: Played on a 68m x 30m size field, participants begin to experience dedicated on field roles such a dummy half and first receiver and see the introduction of kicks in play. Still a very modified form of the game, this structure is designed to expand the capacity of players ball skills and defensive techniques in a safe and fun environment.

Under 10’s to Under 12’s: Participants transition to a field size of 80m x 48m and then to full size international field (100m x 68m) through their time in these grades and start to explore positional play and core game fundamentals. Game times move from quarters to halves, numbers on the field with conversion kicks for goal added. These grades are our critical grades in building player skill mechanics, fundamental attacking and defensive skills, fitness, and the ability to start to understand simple structure and strategy in a non-competition environment.

Under 13’s to Under 18’s: These grades start the full transition for full international rules Rugby League, with ages 13 to 15 remaining under the Safe Play Code, where rules are in place to maintain full player safety. Players will develop positional based skills, understand strategies relating to attack and defence, and play within a true competition fixture.

The Pakenham Eels Rugby League Club season for all these age groups typically starts the week after Easter every year and continues through to August for non-competition (Under 6 to Under 12), and September for competition grades (Under 13 to Under 18) depending on finals progression.

Registrations for Storm Junior League Rugby League in South east Melbourne are typically open from early December the year prior to the playing season. Preseason commencement is age group specific, however, typically preseason commences for competition age groups in late October the year prior to the season start, and from mid-February/early March for non-competition grades in the same competition year.