It was yet another night of celebration and recognition at the annual Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League (CBDJRL) Awards Night on Thursday, 23 October at the Canterbury Leagues Club.
Hosted in The Showroom, the thirteen CBDJRL clubs and the wider Football Club came together to reflect on yet another successful season both on the field and off it.
Emceed by Steve Allan and co-hosted by NRLW Co-Captain Tayla Preston, a combination of over 200 players, staff, volunteers and officials were in attendance to celebrate the 2025 season.
Preston also answered questions alongside Club Legend Hazem El Masri in the “Two Pathways, One Game” Q&A segment, highlighting the similarities and differences in their respective journeys to first-grade.
The Greenacre Tigers were honoured with three Club Championship awards, named Mod Club Champions, International Club Champions and overall Club Champions. St George Dragons (Female Tackle Club Champions), East Hills Bulldogs (League Tag Club Champions) and the Moorebank Rams (Female Club Champions) were also acknowledged.
Fadi Moussalli took home the Sandy Steuerwald Volunteer of the Year award, while Kate Aziz was bestowed with the Karen Folkes Award. Jacob Hanna was named Referee of the Year, while Kirsty Sankari claimed the Junior League Appreciation Award.
Joining corporate partners and sponsors from both the Bulldogs junior and senior divisions were Junior League Life Members, Board Members of the Canterbury League Club and executive members from the Canterbury Referee’s Association.
The attendance also saw Football Club staff, executives and Directors from the Bulldogs including CEO Aaron Warburton, Deputy Chair John Khoury, NRLW Head Coach Brayden Wiliame and Club Legend Terry Lamb to celebrate the next wave of talent across the district.
The Greenacre Tigers, Milperra Colts, Bankstown Bulls and Chester Hill Hornets all received between $500 and $1000 of funding, celebrating the debuts of their former players Latisha Smythe, Jethro Rinakama and Pauline Suli-Ruka throughout the year.
The night was capped off with the the Club Volunteer of the Year Award, which saw a member from each club was presented with a medallion to recognise their outstanding volunteer work.
The Canterbury League Club also announced its third consecutive year of $100 registration player subsidy for the 2026 season, which will allow Rugby League to continue as the Canterbury-Bankstown district’s most affordable sport. Registrations for the 2026 will begin on December 1.
The Bulldogs would like to congratulate the following CBDJRL 2025 Award Winners:
Individual Player Awards
Female Mod Player of the Year: Makaylah Leuta
Male Mod Player of the Year: Kyero Taimani
Mod League Tag Player of the Year: Mariah El-Ahmad
Female Junior International Player of the Year: Jayde Foat
Male Junior International Player of the Year: Ezekiel Stanley-Ligaiviu
Junior League Tag Player of the Year: Madeena Yatim
Senior Junior International Player of the Year: Chloe Beazley
Senior Junior International Player of the Year: Malaki Ah-Loo
Senior League Tag Player of the Year: Emily Thompson
Club Championships
Mod Club Champions: Greenacre Tigers
Female Tackle Club Champions: St George Dragons
League Tag Club Champions: East Hills Bulldogs
International Club Champions: Greenacre Tigers
Female Club Champions: Moorebank Rams
Club Champions: Greenacre Tigers
Junior League Awards
Coach of the Year: Noah Vaine
Secretary of the Year: Josie Tobenhouse
Rookie Referee of the Year: Ben Rowe
Referee of the Year: Jacob Hanna
Junior League Appreciation Award: Kirsty Sankari
Karen Folkes Award: Kate Aziz
Sandy Steuerwald Volunteer of the Year: Fadi Moussalli
Club Volunteers of the Year
Bankstown Bulls: Chady Salamah
Bankstown Sports: Sahar Boustani
Berala Bears: Kirsty Sankari
Chester Hill Hornets: Lance Amiatu
Chipping Norton Kangaroos: Craig Brankstone
East Hills Bulldogs Tara Banbury
Greenacre Tigers: Ali Yatim
Milperra Colts: Katie Lawrence
Moorebank Rams: Akin Mehmet
Revesby Heights Rhinos: Steven Misa
St Christophers: Paul Winterstein
St George Dragons: Maria Latino
St Johns Eagles: Jennifer Kiraz
