The Dragons and Squadron Energy's The Best You Can Be Blitz continues to the Riverina region in southwestern NSW with a number of schools and junior clubs set for visits.

Written by Squadron Energy | 19 June 2024

Dragons stars Corey Allan and Tara McGrath-West will be on hand for the trip along with the Dragons Community Team.

The team will visit 11 schools and a pair of junior clubs the Gundagai Tigers and Tumut Blues to present The Best You Can Be program beginning on Tuesday, 18 June.

“In partnership with Squadron Energy, we'll be presenting our The Best You Can Be presentation and focusing on how we can be our best,” McGrath-West said.

“We speak about how we can improve the environment. We talk about 'reduce, re-use, recycle' like re-using water bottles and how that helps with hydration and also focus on being great in a team environment. When we go out to do the clinics, we'll speak a lot about respect and how we can be respectful to our teammates, ourselves, and officials. We're just thinking about how we can be at our best.”

The team has travelled far and wide this year to deliver the program, which has been running for over a decade, to students.

“Resources have been put into this program for 10 years now and we work really hard on it over the offseason to make sure it's presentable and providing the students with the right information,” McGrath-West said.

“We do a first visit to the schools with the presentation and a second visit with the schools is usually outdoors trying to get the kids fit and active. When we go back later in the year to visit these areas as well, we're looking to host a little bit of a competition and do a gala day or a clinic.”

The partnership that the Dragons and Squadron Energy have formed has helped to support and fund visits to many of these regional communities.

Squadron has provided us an opportunity to visit areas that we wouldn't have been able to reach otherwise and the club having our backs really helps as well. We're doing great things and we're very thankful that Squadron and the Dragons are supporting us. A lot of hard work goes into it.

“Squadron Energy is incredibly proud to support the Illawarra Dragons in delivering this fantastic program to students across the Riverina region, said Jessica Petersen, Squadron Energy’s Senior Project Manager for NSW.

“Our team has seen first-hand the positive impact of The Best You Can Be program at school visits and clinics across NSW. They provide students with fun and practical tools to make good choices to support their own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of their community and the environment.”

Hailing from the small town of Harden, McGrath-West understands better than most the impact that these visits can have on students.

“The smiles on their faces when they see us and realise that we are Dragons players is amazing. A lot of the girls actually come up and say how awesome it is to have NRLW players out there as well,” McGrath-West said.

“It really is special to me. One of the things that I'm most grateful for is that the club provides me the opportunity to do these things, especially in my area too. I'm really excited to go out and be provided opportunities to connect with the kids out in these small areas.”