Hawks Fly High: Yanco-Wamoon Retains Rep Stars as 2026 Premiership Tilt Begins

In Short

Core Retained: The Hawks have re-signed representative stars Ulai Oti-Lahood and Jim Ratulolo, alongside six other key first-graders to maintain their 2025 finals momentum.

New Leadership: Experienced mentor Kye Longford joins as a non-playing coach, allowing Ratulolo to focus solely on his on-field performance.

Grand Ambitions: Following their 1996 premiership reunion year, the club is targeting a top-three finish and a deep run toward the 2026 title.

After embarking on a shock run to the finals last season following a year out of the first grade competition, the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks have moved to retain several key players for the 2026 season. 

The club has re-signed Group 20 representative stars Ulai Oti-Lahood and Jim Ratulolo, as well as established first graders Billy Ingram, Jacob Good, Glen Borg, Jye Sainsbury, Taine Pauls and Josh Onekawa in a massive boost heading into the new season.

Yanco-Wamoon President Adam Watterson said that retaining the majority of the squad is a significant step forward for the club after the team impressed with a top five finish last year.

“It’s been big for the club to re-sign them all, last year was our first year back in the first grade [competition] from falling out the year before,” he said.

“We’ve built it now, so we’re just trying to keep the core group together and just bring in a couple of pieces around it to fill in the voids where we need it.

“It’s seamless at training now, we’re having high numbers at training each week, from 30 up in the men’s competition and then a big influx of women.”

In addition to the string of re-signings, the club has also welcomed two new players to the club in Krish Henao and Vagi Toua Vai for the upcoming campaign.

Watterson said he was extremely happy to have the pair on board for the upcoming season, detailing the different skillsets they will bring to the team.

“Krish’s grandfather was one of the first PNG centres to represent the country,” he said.

“He’s shown what his grandfather would have shown, pace, speed, flying around the oval and stuff like that.

“Vai, he’s going well, more of a lock, second row type player so we’ll go from there.

“Hopefully they turn out to be some good first graders.”

Another change at the Hawks in 2026 has been the appointment of a non-playing coach in experienced former Narrandera premiership mentor Kye Longford.

Watterson said that the decision was made both to bring in an extra, experienced perspective, as well as take pressure off Ratulolo, who balanced playing and coaching in steering the team to the finals last year.

“It will be massive [having] Kye as a non-playing coach, just being off the field all the time, doing things behind the scenes like he does, [he’s an] unbelievable professional,” he said.

“Running benches and things like that [for] Jim was a bit difficult last year with playing and coaching, but that’s just one of those things you do when you’re a captain-coach. 

“We just thought about going down the [path of a non-playing] coach instead of a playing coach this year, so Jim can just play his natural game and not be worrying about everything else and just do what Jim does.”

After surprising nearly everyone outside the club by making the finals last year in just their first season back in the first grade competition, and with most of that squad retained, the Hawks are shaping as a serious contender this season.

In terms of a goal for the upcoming season, Watterson said that earning a double-chance in the finals is the target.

“We’re going to try for a top three finish by the end of the year, and everyone’s ambition is to win the premiership,” he said.

“It’s a reunion year [fpr] our last of the five-peat Grand Finals in the 90s, the ‘96 side, so we’re hoping to go all the way, but just the top three at the moment [is the goal].

“First year back it was a pretty big achievement too for the club to [make] the finals from where it was.

“Knocking off the Waratahs too in the last round to make the finals was a big win for the club.”

Yanco-Wamoon’s season will kick off with its annual nines tournament at the Leeton No.1 Oval on March 28, with up to $15,000 in prize money on offer.