Rugby league training for the Central West & Orana
The Central West and Orana merged their two historic groups into one premiership in 2022, and the Rams draw on all of it. From Lithgow to Nyngan is a long way to travel for a trial — so the preparation happens at home.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.
The Western Rams are the NSWRL regional representative side for western NSW, playing the Laurie Daley (under-18) and Andrew Johns (under-16) Cups in the southern pool. Senior football runs through the Western Premiership — the Peter McDonald Premiership — formed in 2022 when Groups 10 and 11 merged, with clubs in Bathurst, Dubbo, Forbes, Lithgow, Mudgee, Nyngan, Orange, Parkes and Wellington.
Which club your address belongs to
The Western Rams run the regional junior representative pathway.
- Western Rams
- Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) and Andrew Johns Cup (under-16), southern pool.
Check with your club for this season’s trial dates.
The competitions
- Western (Peter McDonald) Premiership
- Formed in 2022 from Groups 10 and 11. Clubs: Bathurst Panthers, Bathurst St Patrick’s, Dubbo CYMS, Dubbo Macquarie, Forbes, Lithgow Workmen’s, Mudgee, Nyngan, Orange CYMS, Orange Hawks, Parkes and Wellington. First grade, reserve grade, under-18s and league tag.
Set it up for Central West & Orana
Four things, in the order the app asks them. None of them needs a coach.
Choose rugby league, then your team nights
Onboarding asks “When do you train with your team?” Pick your club nights — Western (Peter McDonald) Premiership or wherever you play — and your gym and conditioning are scheduled around them, lighter the day after a big one. Tell it your equipment and any niggles and every exercise is fitted to both.
Match the program to your league’s start
The app treats November to February as rugby league pre-season and March to October as the season. A junior rep player whose games start in late January or February can set their phase to in-season early. The phase lives in Program → Your year.
Know your numbers on day one
Your first testing session is ready immediately: Bronco test, Bench press 1RM, Weighted chin-up 3RM, Back squat 1RM, Standing vertical jump. It is re-run every 8 weeks, and the results re-price your training weights and conditioning paces.
Put your suburb on the board
In Social → Town, set where you train. Your minutes count toward that town’s weekly conditioning and strength top-10 boards — only the town is kept, never your location.
What you start with, by the month you join
Every block is four weeks — three building, one deload — so a free month is one complete block.
The rugby league year in Central West & Orana
- November – January
- Pre-season, through summer. Aerobic base, then strength, then repeat-effort work. Test on arrival.
- Late January – March
- Regional junior representative season. The 2026 Laurie Daley and Andrew Johns Cups opened with a Regional Magic Round on 31 January.
- April – September
- Group and club seasons. Volume comes down, weights hold.
- October
- A short break. League gives you almost no off-season.
Hot western summers, cold Orange winters
Dubbo and Nyngan get very hot summers; Orange, Bathurst and Lithgow get cold, frosty winters. Train the summer running at first light, treat heatwave weeks as extra load, and in winter make the warm-up count.
Coaching a side in Central West & Orana?
A club licence is A$8 per player, per month (minimum 5), and every player on it gets full Train Smart membership at no cost to them. You write the block once, it lands in each player’s app, and the console shows who actually did it.
Rugby league in Central West & Orana: questions
What is the Peter McDonald Premiership?
Which junior rep team covers Dubbo and Orange?
Where these facts come from
Checked September 2026. Zones, grades and dates change — if something here is out of date, the governing body is right and we are wrong.
- Western (Peter McDonald) Premiership
- 2026 Laurie Daley Cup — pools and result
- Sports Medicine Australia — hot weather guidelines
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.
Nearby and related
Sydney
Eight regions across ten junior districts, the SG Ball and Harold Matthews Cups, and a western Sydney summer.
OpenNewcastle & the Hunter
The Newcastle Rugby League premiership, the Knights’ SG Ball and Harold Matthews sides, and the NMR Knights.
OpenThe rugby league pathway
From community level to state league and the draft — and what gets tested along the way.
OpenTurn up to round one already fit
Pick rugby league, tell it your team nights, and your first block and testing session are ready before you leave the car park.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.