Rugby league training for the Mid North Coast
The Mid North Coast runs from Grafton to Forster, and the Bulldogs pick their junior rep squads from all of it. For most players that means a long drive to trials — and a pre-season done largely alone.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.
The North Coast Bulldogs are the NSWRL regional representative side for the Mid North Coast, with under-16 (Andrew Johns Cup) and under-18 (Laurie Daley Cup) teams selected from trials in Coffs Harbour. Senior football runs through Group 2, from Grafton to Macksville, and Group 3, from Kempsey to Forster.
Which club your address belongs to
The North Coast Bulldogs run the regional junior representative pathway.
- North Coast Bulldogs
- Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) and Andrew Johns Cup (under-16), northern pool. Trials have been held in Coffs Harbour.
Juniors from Port Macquarie clubs trial for the Bulldogs too. Check with your club for this season’s trial dates.
The competitions
- Group 2 Rugby League
- Grafton to Macksville: Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Sawtell, South Grafton and Woolgoolga.
- Group 3 Rugby League
- Kempsey to Forster: Forster-Tuncurry, Macleay Valley (Kempsey), Old Bar, Port City and Port Macquarie, Taree City, Wauchope and Wingham.
Set it up for the Mid North Coast
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 — Group 2 Rugby League 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 the Mid North Coast
- 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.
Warm, humid summers
Summers on the Mid North Coast are warm and humid, which makes the pre-season running cost more than it looks. Train early or late, drink before you are thirsty, and treat humid days as extra load.
Coaching a side in the Mid North Coast?
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 the Mid North Coast: questions
Which junior rep team covers Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie?
What rugby league groups are on the Mid North Coast?
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.
- Group 2 Rugby League
- Group 3 Rugby League
- Port Macquarie News — North Coast Bulldogs selection trials
- 2026 Laurie Daley Cup — pools and result
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.