Rugby League emerged in the Riverina in 1911, at West Wyalong. By 1921 it had replaced Union throughout the southwest. The NSW Rugby League, recognising the need to join up clubs and to organise this rapidly expanding sport, proposed prior to the 1922 season to divide the rural parts of the state into twelve groups. Group 9 was to include the teams Harden, Wagga, Cootamundra, Gundagai, Tumut, Temora, Barmedman, Wyalong, West Wyalong, Mildil, Ariah Park and Ardlethan.

It was further proposed to have a competition between all the Groups in Sydney during ‘Country Week‘ in June. Bob Aldridge from Temora was designated as the selector for Group 9.  However the Group existed in name only as no meeting to constitute the Group had been held.  Aldridge found little interest from the other clubs in forming his representative team.  In the end a combined team from Group 8 – centred on Goulburn – and Group 9  was selected under the rubric of ‘Southern Districts’. Group 9’s contribution were just four players, all from Temora; Jack ‘Slender’ O’Leary, Cyril ‘Whisky’ Meehan, Ernie Green and McLaughlin.  Defeated 31-5 by North Coast the Sydney event was ignored by the local newspapers.

Bob Aldridge and a Temora team from 1925: Back Row – Bob Aldridge, Hec Curran, Charlie Bray, Eric Curran, Jack O’Leary, Harold Harwin, Rex Thwaite. Front Row – Jack Myers, Col Cowan, Peter McSullea, Harold Thomas, Les Starr. Inserts – Artie McShane, Tom Goldspink, John Dawson (Captain/Coach), Robert McKinnon, Ernie Pye, George Elliott. Source: Temora Dragons Rugby League Club via Facebook.

So in 1922 each town and village had a very local perspective on football.  There were a myriad of challenge cups, often short-lived, put up for visiting sides to contest and possibly take away.  However teams didn’t travel far.  Even in the already popular Maher Cup, the longest distance travelled by the end of 1922 was the 60 miles from Tumut to Cootamundra.  Play was irregular, with some sort of game usually on Wednesday afternoons, when businesses would close, and often another one either on Saturday or Sunday.  The season was short – at its longest from late May to early September.