Big names and a new generation of Bulldogs ready to revive club and community

Having last competed in the Castlereagh League in 2016, the Bulldogs have confirmed their intentions to return to the competition in 2025.

A committee has already been formed and the club has been linked with some major recruits ahead of its comeback campaign.

Former Western Rams captain and Macquarie star Alex Ronayne has confirmed his intentions to play for Warren while a number of other current Peter McDonald Premiership players have also been rumoured to link with those in blue and white.

While the big names are exciting, the comeback is about much more than that for those in the town.

Adam Pascoe has been one of the biggest drivers of Warren's comeback and is vice president of the club. He's all too aware of the appetite his community has for rugby league and how exciting the thought is of a first grade and league tag team running out at the 'The Boneyard' at Victoria Oval.

"It's pretty much always been a thing as I've grown up. I played rugby league since I was a kid and it's the same for a lot of my mates," Pascoe said.

"It would just be good for the town. It gets people out there on a Saturday and barracking for their hometown, which they haven't had for a bloody long time.

"It's always been a really good oval to play on here, it's a good facility and always had a good crowd so it's exciting."

Well-known local businessman Brett Brouff has taken on the club president role while Amanda Brien is the secretary. It's estimated close to 20 players are already locked in while the interest from other potential players and sponsors has been "unreal".

The initial reaction to the news the Bulldogs would be revived has boosted the new board's hope this can be a long-term and sustainable return.

Given the Castlereagh League is made-up of smaller towns in the western region, running the footy club for most is a year-to-year prospect.

In 2024, Dunedoo failed to form a first grade side due to a lack of numbers while the Coolah Roos returned to the competition for the first time since 2017 and won the premiership.

Warren has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years, but there's a sense of optimism around the latest revival.

One of the biggest positives is the number of potential players aged in their early twenties.

Kids from Warren often travel to somewhere like Red Bend College at Forbes for schooling and don't play locally, while many young people have left to chase education or employment opportunities elsewhere.

With only a handful of junior league sides and no under 18s, those who did remain would regularly travel to places like Nyngan to play.

"But there's a younger generation coming through and we've got a few boys from other towns that are keen to come out and help us out," Pascoe said.

"I'd like to say we're never going to fold again but you know what it can be like in these small country towns. It's hard to keep everyone in town with work and there can be droughts and sometimes you just lose people out of town.

"But hopefully this will stick together for a while. A lot of these younger blokes have got jobs in Warren and I can't see them moving on too much.

"Hopefully we can get another eight or 10 years out of them and hopefully we'll have a few more young fellas coming through again."

Pascoe said he was "very confident" the club would return to play in 2025.

A get together and meet-and-greet for potential players will be held on Saturday, September 21, while the club will officially put its case forward at the Castlereagh League annual general meeting later this year.