Jono Dallas has a passion for rugby league. Now after 460 games as a Jamberoo Superoo in Seniors and Juniors he is retiring at the age of 35 years from the role of Captain and coach of the Jamberoo First Grade side.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play for a long time with a lot of my best mates, which has ultimately always been my motivation. I was always committed to winning a First-Grade premiership here, as I understood how long it had been, and what the Club had gone through, so I am very happy I was able to do that,” Jono said.

Coming from a family that was very involved with rugby league Jono naturally gravitated towards it. His career started in April 1994 when a five-year-old First ran onto a footy field at Kiama High School when playing for St Peter and Paul School Kiama. Three years later, on 16 April 1997 he ran onto Kevin Walsh Oval as a Jamberoo Superoo for the very first time when playing for the Under 9’s.

In his career, Jono has not missed a competition game through injury despite being small in stature and carrying many injuries into games. Surely Jono must be one of the toughest ever to play the game!

On 19 August 2023 after nine years on the job Jono led the Jamberoo Superoos out for the 150th time as Captain-Coach and the last time in a regular season game.

Asked for his advice for those wanting to follow in his footsteps, Jono said, “Young people playing sport will generally aspire to making a go of it at a higher level than what we play; but for those who that isn’t realistic for, it’s important to understand that playing local sport with your mates, especially for a club that means something to you, can be extremely fulfilling in its own right.” 

Regarding the physical training involved, Jono said that he was lucky to have a body that managed to hold up well in footy, but said, “I was always one to work pretty hard on my skills more than my physique.”

When asked whether it has been a good career, he said that it’s unfortunate that local footy has for the most part lost a lot of what makes it unique and special. Jono said, “The majority of league players around here are motivated by match payments or asking clubs to sort out their employment for them. For me, I had the opportunity to play at clubs that were probably stronger, and had more assets than Jamberoo, but being able to look back as someone that was loyal and worked hard to achieve what we achieved, instead of chasing success, is something I can feel good about.”

The thing he reflects on the most is how this club has impacted his mates. A couple of his closest friends would never have met if it wasn’t for his urging to get them to the town! 

“Some mates met their girlfriends and wives, and my wife has met her closest friends - all because of the Club,” he says. It’s all those things that he will look back on and feel content - to have built something that made these things possible for others.

And his best moments? Jono reveals that winning the premiership in 2017 was “hands down” his best experience, adding, “It was 43 years since the Club had done this, so to be the one that was able to lead the team as Captain-Coach was surreal”. 

For the nine years he has coached the team Jamberoo Club has managed to be in the top three in seven of those seasons, so to have some prolonged success has been a great achievement. Jono says, “On a personal level, playing in some representative teams with some opposition players and representing NSW Country and Malta were also some cool experiences that I don’t take for granted.”

Now that he’s retiring Jono says that he’ll enjoy his weekends with his family and friends, adding “Captain-coaching takes a lot of time and mental energy. Probably even more so for me being at my junior club where there is an extra level of expectation. As much as I love rugby league and Jamberoo, it’s pretty much ruled my life for a long time, so I am very much looking forward to having a bit more freedom throughout the year. I’ll always be a big supporter of the Club.”