Blayney's King George Oval will be one of the stopping points for Brad Fittler as the rugby league icon is set to run a series of regional coaching clinics as part of the annual Hogs motorcycle tour.
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The tour will be spread over two weeks (8-12 February and 15-19 February), taking in 13 schools, conducting six free football clinics, and handing out 2400 footballs.
It is the first Hogs tour, which is one of the main programs of the NSWRL Foundation, around regional NSW in two years after 2020 was disrupted by the summer bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fittler will be joined by Gus Worland who will deliver messages about mental fitness to high school children. The pair teamed up last year to lift community spirits in areas including Queanbeyan, Canberra, Griffith and Tumut.
Nathan Hindmarsh and Steve Menzies will be involved for a portion of the tour which will also include a training session with Sydney Roosters players James Tedesco and Angus Crichton, and Blues hopeful Victor Radley.
Week One of the tour (8-12 February) will take in the far north coast and north-west of NSW with the riders travelling a combined 2079km and visiting towns including Lennox Head and Warialda.
Week Two (15-19 February) will take in the far south coast and south-west of NSW with the riders travelling a combined 3229km and visiting towns including Albury and Blayney.
Fittler, who was a founding member of the annual charity ride, "Hogs For The Homeless", which began in 2013 and has raised more than $760,000 for Father Chris Riley's Youth off the Streets program.
"One of the things I love the most about my job as coach of the Blues is that it gives me the opportunity to connect with all our supporters from Bourke to Bankstown," Fittler said.
"The state had a pretty tough time last year because of the bushfires and coronavirus and I missed not being able to travel around as freely as I have in previous years.
"I can't wait to jump back on the bike again, get around the great state of NSW, play footy with the local kids and deliver some important message about mental fitness to any communities who might be still doing it tough."
The NSWRL Foundation aims to use Rugby League to drive social change in the community through its support of charity partners and programs including Gotcha4Life and Youth Off The Streets.
February 18 will be the date for the Blayney clinic as it's set to kick-off from 4.30pm at King George Oval.
The visit will mark Fittler's second to the Orange region in nine months as he, Steve Menzies and Craig Wing, visited Wade Park in June to help out the Western Rams.
King George Oval shapes as the last stop for the convoy before they wrap up their journey.
