South West Mens League Grand Final 2016 Online Programme Chairmans Notes Welcome to Launceston for the South West RL Grand Final 2016. There is no doubting the two sides competing today deserve to be in the final having both had fine seasons thus far. If the 2016 Final is anything to go by we will be in for a cracking game today. The Rebels edged a thriller that day 28-26 in a game that could have gone either way. That was in stark contrast to last year’s Grand Final which saw Rebels run out emphatic 94-12 winners over Exeter Centurions.

Unlike its sister league in the West of England the South West League has struggled in 2016 with a number of teams struggling to field teams consistently. There are a number of particular challenges the region faces such as geography and distance but both today’s finalists have shown with the right people at the helm. quality coaches and being active in the local community there is absolutely no reason why successful clubs cannot be sustainable in the South West. However, whilst there is much work to do in the off-season to build a viable competition in the South West today is about the two strongest teams in the region showcasing some of the great rugby league talent there is in the area.

Good luck to both teams and thank you once again to everyone at Launceston for hosting once again. South West Mens League Grand Final Cornish Rebels

v Devon Sharks Cornish Rebels

Cornish Rebels RLFC started off 2016 with a bang. In January, the third Embed the Pathway CPD was delivered by representatives of both the Rebels and St Helens RLFC who, having secured a development-led partnership with Cornwall’s only RL club, gave 9 new teachers from 7 new schools the tools required to deliver Rugby League to Cornish pupils. Fast forward to July this year and those Schools attended the first ever Cornish Rugby League Schools Festival. 120 pupils from the 10 accredited England Player Development Schools in the County attended the day-long event which saw delivery of drills and skills in the morning before a Schools RL 9’s in the afternoon. In between all of this the Rebels have secured a four year kit deal with one of the country’s leading sportswear suppliers, retained the South West Cup and gone unbeaten in the South West Men’s League. Perhaps the greatest news of all is that just last week, the Stadium for Cornwall organisers received confirmation that the final planning permission for the 6,000- capacity community facility has been granted and the shovel will be in the ground sooner rather than later. Today’s game marks a historic day for South West Rugby League – The Rebels have the chance of becoming the first club to retain the Championship for three consecutive years. Win or lose however, the future is bright, both for Rugby League in Cornwall, and for Cornwall in Rugby League. Cornish Rebels Devon Sharks

The end of last year saw a brand new committee take over the Devon Sharks with Phil Johnson taking over the helm as Director of Rugby. The club faced a number of very large challenges in order to progress at a competitive level for everyone to enjoy. This year is the tenth anniversary of the Shark’s existence in the South West, and this year has marked big changes for rugby league in Torbay in its entirety. 2016 saw the introduction of brand new sponsors to the club for the new training packages for the players, a partnership with and a series of grant awards for the work in the community. One of those grants was from the Big Lottery fund to help Devon Sharks deliver Embed The Pathway sessions in association with Wigan Warriors throughout Torbay and Devon. So far, in Torbay, we have three Embed The Pathway accredited schools which have included over 70 secondary schools so far! Today marks the fifth occasion that Sharks have played the Rebels in a competitive competition this year with the only win in the semi-finals of the Exeter 9’s tournament. The Rebels are a very talented side, but today the blue ‘n’ white will be dynamite. Devon Sharks Team Line up

Cornish Rebels (from) Devon Sharks (from)

1. James Wilson Oliver Hill 2. Jodi Briskham Josh Boaler 3. Decarlo Trerise Ryan Chivers (VC) 4. Peter Mabbott Russell Morris 5. Dan Thomas Martin Browne 6. James Elliott Joe Briggs 7. Liam Jack Freeman Will Sanders 8. Jack Scott VC Kye Munslow 9. Callum Abbott Marcus Phillips 10. Josh Durant Kyle Tagg 11. Martyn Lawrance Jack Carlisle 12. James Martin Phil Johnson 13. Jamie Prisk C Ben Spear Interchange: Dan Alker Andrius Ha Jack Sweeney Dan Harry Josh Macklin Olly Reynolds Matt Fawcus Ben Harris Ashley Ansermoz Dillon Loake Paul Cartwright Lewis Thomas Nev D’Alessandro Lee Gaskell Todays Match Officials Referee – Andy Bickle TJ – Peter Clarke TJ – Malcolm Holmes Thanks for joining us, your support is appreciated!

Have a safe journey home