Crookwell Green Devils draw mixed start ahead of 2020 season

With the men under the guidance of new coach, Brian Gray, and with Paddy Lenane and Chris Chudleigh set to continue with the league tag side, the Devils appear well-set for their first round clashes against the Boorowa Rovers.

Scheduled for Saturday, April 18, the Green Devils and She Devils will play in front of a home crowd at Crookwell Memorial Oval.

It is an ideal start for both teams, as the Boorowa Rovers have been consistently tough opposition in recent seasons and will give Crookwell a good idea of where they stand early in the year.

This match will be followed by a round two clash against the Boomanulla Raiders.

Though the Raiders had an ordinary year in 2019 and struggled consistently, the Green Devils will be careful not to come into the clash overconfident.

Despite their average results from the year, there were some flashes of form from the Raiders, including a late win for their senior men over the Gunning Roos (26-10) last August.

The Green Devils struggled with inconsistency in 2019 and, despite a strong run late in the season which earned them a grand final berth, sat in the middle of the ladder for much of the year.

They will be hoping for wins early in the season against similarly mid-ranked teams, but upsets are very possible.

In the third round, the Devils will take on the Gunning Roos in Gunning.

While the Roos had an awful season in 2019, which included a 62-0 loss to Crookwell early in the year, Paul Loughhead has taken over the coaching duties with the senior men.

A former West Belconnen Warriors assistant coach, Loughhead will bring his years of knowledge and experience to the Roos, who will welcome a new voice into the fold.

This could make things interesting for Gunning, which has many promising players but struggled to field a consistent team last year.

The first three rounds of the year present challenges but also opportunities for the Green Devils, who will be hoping to get off to a positive start in 2020.