We've arrived. The top 10.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Some of the true greats of bush footy have been recognised during our countdown of the greatest Group 11 players since 2000, but now we've hit the very best.
Each one of these players has left their mark on the competition and are are among the greatest ever players for their club or clubs.
From former NRL stars, to boom juniors and loyal servants, this group of players helps show what made Group 11 one of the very best competitions in the bush.
10 Peter Ford (Cobar)
Premiership winner, Bob Weir medallist, NSW Country representative, captain-coach, Cobar great.
There's not much Peter Ford didn't do during a four-year spell at the Roosters which had the highs of grand final glory and the lows of struggling for numbers as the club declined.
A goal-kicking back-rower who had a handy knack of crossing the tryline, Ford was once described by premiership-winning Cobar captain-coach Damian Connor as "the best player I've played with or against in Group 11".
A player who once scored 38 points on his own in a game, Ford starred in the 2005 extra-time grand final win over Wellington and kicked a crucial field goal in the 25-22 victory.
9 Joe Williams (CYMS, Wellington)
With 20 minutes remaining in the 2011 Group 11 grand final, things were in the balance.
Dubbo CYMS trailed Parkes after being down 16-6 at half-time and they were in need of inspiration. Step up, Joe Williams.
The former NRL playmaker was simply brilliant and showed all his class in a man of the match performance which led CYMS to a 22-20 win.
He set up his side's final try with six minutes to go and then kicked the all-important, match-winning conversion. It was one of many decisive performances from the halfback, who made CYMS better and seemed to make all the right choices on the field.
8 Bernard Wilson (CYMS)
It's often said props have no brains and their job is just to run. Well, Wilson didn't fit that mould as he was one of the most clever players to line up in green and white.
Having left Dubbo and enjoyed stints at North Sydney and Balmain, Wilson returned and immediately became a highly influential figure at CYMS.
Almost faultless on the field each week and a great competitor, the uncompromising Wilson was a vital figure in CYMS' run of three straight titles from 2001-03 and was named Group 11 player of the year in 2002.
7 Kotoni Staggs (Wellington)
Maybe the most talented junior we've ever seen come through the Group 11 ranks. The things Staggs could do as a teenager were ridiculous.
It wasn't just in the juniors where he shone, as he proved crucial in first grade even as a 16-year-old. While other future NRL players like Isaah Yeo and Matt Burton played first grade locally, they were often put on the wing and just given a taste of the top level. Not Staggs, who was bamboozling grown men and guiding the Cowboys around before he could legally drive.
Named in the Western Rams side at just 17, it's no surprise Staggs has gone on to achieve what he has in the NRL.
6 Jake Grace (Forbes)
You might as well put a picture of the Forbes hero's face next to the word influential in the dictionary.
Due to a couple of short-lived retirements, Grace has only played four of the past seven seasons.
In that time, he's won three premierships and played finals the other year. How about the seasons he hasn't been there? Forbes was bundled out of the finals early once and missed them altogether on the other two occasions.
That's about all you need to know. As well as being one of the most consistent 80-minute players around, Grace has the ability to make everyone in his team better.
After sitting out 2023, he's back again this year. Don't be shocked if it ends with another title.
5 Luke Jenkins (Narromine, CYMS)
Luke Jenkins almost is Group 11 this century.
Between the 2000 and 2022 seasons, he played in a stunning 17 grand finals. It would have been 18 if it wasn't for injury in 2018 while there were no finals played in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. So that's 17 of a possible 21 grand finals and he won 10 of them. Staggering.
Some people dream of playing in one decider, while Jenkins admitted at times he'd forgotten how many he'd played.
Incredibly fit, amazingly tough, and impressively intelligent, Jenkins is one of the main factors in Dubbo CYMS' recent dominance.
A half as a youngster, Jenkins started out at Narromine and his potential was clear to see there. He moved to CYMS and spent time at hooker, half and lock as he helped define an era of glory.
4 Justin Toomey-White (Wellington)
Ask almost anyone around the bush who's played footy with Justin Toomey-White and they'll tell you he's one of the best, if not the best, back-rower they've played alongside.
Apart from a brief stint at Wyong, Toomey-White has been a mainstay at the Wellington Cowboys for much of the past two decades and he's been the club's best player almost every year during that time.
When he was younger he was a wide-running back-rower who scored tries for fun. He scored 27 in 2015 alone and had the kind of speed and athleticism most forwards could only dream of. While there are not quite as many tries now, 'JTW' is still one of the best around and there's few others who can match his passion and commitment.
A battle with bowel cancer meant Toomey-White was only in a coaching capacity when the Cowboys scored a drought-breaking premiership win in 2019. Since returning to the field, he's become one of only two players to be named Group 11 player of the year on five occasions.
3 Justin Yeo (CYMS)
Dubbo CYMS was in need of something at the turn of the century.
The club hadn't won a first grade premiership since 1987 and had been forced to watch crosstown rivals Macquarie win the 2000 title.
Enter Justin Yeo. After being named the competition's best player in 2000, the captain-coach led the Fishies to the 2001 title. And he wasn't done there. CYMS won premierships again in 02, 03, 04, 07, and 09 before the towering centre called time on his career.
Having previously played for North Sydney and Balmain, Yeo is one of the best outside backs the competition has seen and he possessed an outstanding palm.
He was also the man for the big occasion. In the 2001 grand final he scored twice and produced two try-saving tackles. The following year he scored again and produced another crucial try-saving tackle alongside Nick Wilson. In 2003 he scored an amazing four tries in the decider victory while there were also tries in the 2004 and 2007 grand final triumphs.
2 Darren Jackson (Macquarie, Cobar)
Where Jackson went, success followed.
At Cobar, he turned the Roosters from wooden spooners into premiers in the space of a season while he also won a title with Macquarie.
One of the best number nines to play in the bush, 2006 NSW Country Player of the Year Jackson was an outstanding individual player and made things happen on his own, but he also set a standard for teammates to follow.
Jackson was almost unstoppable when he made a dart from dummyhalf close to the line. Everyone knew it was coming, but more often than not a referee was signalling a try. That was evident in 2005 when he dominated the final series and then scored two tries in Cobar's decider win over Wellington.
One of the fittest players of his generation, Jackson had amazing reaction time and decision-making.
A NSW Country captain and a Western Rams player and coach, Jackson is the other player alongside Toomey-White to have been named Group 11 Player of the Year five times.
1 Dennis Moran (Parkes, Wellington)
The greatest.
In his club-changing time at Parkes, there were three Group 11 referee's association best and fairest awards, three Group 11 player of the year gongs, six grand final appearances, and two premierships.
If that wasn't enough, he spent one year with Wellington in 2019 and played a vital role on and off the field as the Cowboys won a first premiership since 1994.
Having played in the NRL and English Super League, he changed Group 11 after arriving in 2009.
Parkes were close to folding after collecting the wooden spoon in 2007 but Moran set standards unlike anything else seen before.
With ball in hand, Moran simply did things others couldn't. He changed games all on his own and regularly produced moments of magic whether he was in the halves or at hooker later in his career.
Plus, there's that famous goal-line drop out. In 2011, Moran produced a 100m kick which resulted in an opposition player then being trapped in their own in-goal.
The top 50
Players 50-11
- 50 - Mick Darcy
- 49 - Craig Roworth
- 48 - Rob Lake
- 47 - Williams 'Bubba' Kennedy
- 46 - Reece Goldsmith
- 45 - Benjamin John
- 44 - Mick Louie
- 43 - Ilisoni Vonomateiratu
- 42 - Dave Schrader
- 41 - Blake Ferguson
- 40 - Mick Ryan
- 39 - Jamie Szczerbanik
- 38 - Luke Thomson
- 37 - Chad Porter
- 36 - Jarryn Powyer
- 35 - Blake Tremain-Cannon
- 34 - Mick Peachey
- 33 - Tom Good
- 32 - Alex Ronayne
- 31 - Trent Runciman
- 30 - Noel Solomon
- 29 - Jeremy Thurston
- 28 - Travis Waddell
- 27 - Steve Lyons
- 26 - Mitch Andrews
- 25 - Josh Merirtt
- 24 - Moses Manu
- 23 - Blaine Stanley
- 22 - Justin Carney
- 21 - Peter Boon
- 20 - Darren Peachey
- 19 - Tim Ryan
- 18 - Tony Hutton
- 17 - Andrew Hunter
- 16 - Alex Bonham
- 15 - Jyie Chapman
- 14 - David Peachey
- 13 - Chris Thompson
- 12 - Corey Stanley
- 11 - Pat Rosser