Nanima Connection ready for knockout matches

"It's a knock out so the pressure will be on," he said.

"We will have Kotoni Staggs, Josh Merritt and Joey Williams in the halves, a very good forward pack and a strong bench.

"In these games you must have a strong bench and use them well because of the rapid pace of the game. We will really rely on them.

Kotoni Staggs will be seen in one of his final games before heading with Indigenous team mates Will Lousick and Graham Peckham to Europe on the back of some successful fundraising by the community.

The Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service is one of the great supporters of the trio and of the players and also the NSW Aboriginal Knockout.

The women's side played the Campbelltown Ghosts while the Wiradjuri under 12s faced the Dubbo Waratahs and the 15s the Googars in Friday's action.

Western NSW Local Health District (LHD) and the Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service are partnering to host a health precinct at the Knockout during the October long weekend.

The Knockout is recognised as the major Aboriginal cultural event in NSW, with more than 15,000 people expected to attend during the weekend, including up to 100 mens, womens and childrens teams in their respective competitions.

Western NSW LHD senior manager, Aboriginal health, Wendy Moore said the health precinct would be operated by qualified health professionals and would include chronic disease screening and referrals as well as a Sun Smart sunscreen station.

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"There will also be information available on a variety of health topics, including chronic disease, immunisation, cancer, mental health, drugs and alcohol, and general health and wellbeing," she said.

"We encourage people who are attending the Knockout to visit the health precinct to have a health check, enjoy some complimentary fruit and water and to talk about any health concerns with our friendly staff."

People visiting the health precinct also had the opportunity to win one of six Fitbit watches by completing a short quiz about immunisation.

Ms?Moore said while health information had been made available at the annual Knockout event in the past, this was the first time a health precinct of this scale had been set up to educate, inform and share information with people about Aboriginal health.

"Closing the gap in Aboriginal health is a key priority of the gealth district and we want to use this opportunity to showcase our services and engage with people about their health face-to-face," she said.

"The Knockout is a significant cultural event and we are really pleased to be working with the Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service as partners on this project to have a positive impact on the health Aboriginal families from western NSW and all over the state.

"We look forward to seeing lots of people come through the health precinct over the weekend, as well as some good footy of course."

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Lighter and fitter, the 2015 NSW Aboriginal Knockout Health Challenge winners proudly accepted their awards at the Knockout gala dinner hosted by the Walgett Aboriginal Connection at Dubbo on Thursday night.

Winners of the Challenge Shield, Nowra's Dead or Deadly team, also snared first place in the Julie Young Challenge, closely followed by Menindee's Nguri Wiithiku team in second place and the Eurobodalla Scale Busters in third place.

Executive director of the NSW Centre for Population Health, Dr Jo Mitchell said 38 teams from 28 Aboriginal communities across NSW had participated in this year's Knockout Health Challenge events, collectively losing more than 2700 kilograms in weight.

"The results are very positive - participants showed commitment to developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles and successfully reduced their risk of chronic disease as well as their waistlines," Dr Mitchell said.

"Dead or Deadly, an all-female side based at the Waminda South Coast Aboriginal Women's Health and Welfare Corporation, put in a particularly amazing effort to top the Challenge overall."

The Knockout Health Challenge, a joint initiative of the NSW Ministry of Health, Agency for Clinical Innovation and NSW Rugby League, engages Aboriginal communities to lose weight and improve their health. 

The 2015 events included two 12-week weight loss challenges, the George Rose and Julie Young Challenges, as well as the Kyle Saunders fitness video challenge, the Ronny Gibbs' Above the line Challenge and Participation Awards. NSW Rugby League's Indigenous Rugby League manager, Ricky Walford said it was great to see so many new communities among the 1200-plus participants stepping up to lose weight, get active and improve their lifestyles.

The NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout in Dubbo this weekend is open to all and fans of high quality rugby league are encouraged to attend the games which culminate with the finals to be played on Monday, October 5. 

Geoff Simpson from the Walgett Aboriginal Connection said the NSWAboriginal Rugby League Knockout was a real spectacle and fans of rugby league would be impressed by the quality of football.

"There will be competitions for under 12s 15s 17s women and men so across the four days of competition there will be plenty of chances to see some great rugby league in action," Mr Simpson said. 

"There will be strong competition in Dubbo with teams coming from across NSW, Newcastle and parts of Sydney. The Walgett Aboriginal Connection would like to welcome all Dubbo people and as many fans as possible from nearby towns to come and enjoy the games over the weekend and to enjoy the great tournament atmosphere."

Dubbo City Council City Promotions and Events Supervisor Lana Willets said the Walgett Aboriginal Connection and Dubbo City Council had worked together to ensure the success of the event.

"The NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout is another great sporting event for Dubbo," Ms Willets said.

"Full-day tickets will cost just $10 and children under 12 are free so it is a great opportunity to watch some top class rugby league from the comfort of the Dubbo Apex Club's Caltex Park grandstand.

"There is also a free bus with pick-ups at various motels and businesses throughout Dubbo to make transport easier."