Bingara boy finds new home on the Clarence
When it comes to hard-nosed bush footballers, they don’t come much harder than Jacob Black.
Black, who plays on raw emotion, has been a revelation at the Grafton Redmen this year with his uncompromising style of play.
Born in Bingara in North West NSW, Black didn’t find rugby, it found him.
Like most country boys over the winter months, he couldn’t wait for the weekend to come around and run out on the rugby league field, that’s unless the Murray Cod and Yellowbelly were on the bite.
“I was born and raised in Bingara. It was your typical country town where you’d hang around your mates, went fishing and played league on the weekend,” Black recalled.
“I was actually more concerned about playing footy on the weekend than rocking up to school.
“I played league until 2011 then suddenly it folded, and everyone started talking about rugby union.
“No one in the town played rugby before, so we formed the Gwydir River Rats.”
On the footy field, Black has plenty of mongrel moulded with class, and admits he loves the physical side of the game.
“Yeah, I love the contact,” he said. “It makes you play better footy and stand up against the opposition and try and prove yourself.”
For Black, juggling rugby and work commitments has not been easy.
“I work in the mines, so I follow a roster,” he said.
“It makes being committed to training difficult. I also miss two weeks playing in a row, so you lose a bit of fitness and condition.”
The 34-four-year-old rangy second-rower admits moving to Grafton had a lot of unknowns, but added the Grafton Redmen Club welcomed him with open arms.
“When I moved to Grafton, I knew no one and thought the best way to meet people would be through rugby,” he said.
“The way the club has welcomed me and looked after myself and my son has been unreal… I’m loving every minute of it.”
Fiji is a far cry from Bingara, and when asked if he ever thought he would be lining up on the field with several Fijian teammates, Black admitted it’s been an unusual but awesome experience.
“It was definitely a first for me especially last season when they all rocked up to training,” he said.
“It’s fantastic to have the Fijians around the club and they bring a wonderful and exciting style of footy.”
Nico