A small army of volunteers has already lent their support to the cause and carnival secretary Maree Allamby is now reaching out for even more participants to cater for the big day.

“It’s the biggest event of the year out here and we can’t do it without community support,” she said.

“There’s so many sponsors and supporters who help out, but more hands are certainly welcome.”

Junee’s festival of rugby league has endured a torrid run of late with 2016’s installment scrapped due to extreme weather – the first ever cancellation in its storied 75-year history.

Last year’s return to the fray was an admirable one – 123 sides played more than 500 games in 2017 – and this year looks to shape up in a similar manner.

“The number has dropped just a little from last year, but from our most recent count I believe there’s 117 teams registered to play,” Allamby said.

“There’s less teams because of clashes with other junior competitions and injuries, but I think everyone’s really looking forwards to it – people love the carnival and they love coming to Junee.”

Games will begin at 9am and run throughout the day at Laurie Daley Oval, Loftus Oval, Burns Park and Junee Showground in a round-robin format.

The competition will be followed by the inaugural Riverina League Tag Football Carnival, which will be played the following day.

The carnival has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1943 when just six teams competed, however, this year’s 117 still falls well short of 1969’s record attendance of 242.

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