Next month, members of both the Goulburn Dirty Reds and the Crookwell Dogs will come together at Poidevin Oval to remember Luke McCue.
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The talented young rugby player lost his life late last year in a car accident, which shocked and saddened the rugby community in which he was deeply entrenched.
The youngster was a Crookwell resident who had recently graduated from Trinity College before his death last December.
Luke played at number four for the Dirty Reds Under 18s side, while his older brother, Lachlan, currently plays for the Crookwell Dogs. Their parents, John and Glenda, have also been involved with the rugby community for a number of years.
Bec Rudd, the manager of Luke's Under 18s team, came up with the idea for the Luke McCue Memorial Cup, and is one of the chief organisers of the event. She hopes it will act as both a way to commemorate the 18-year-old's impact on his community and an opportunity to provide support to those who have struggled with his passing.
"Luke loved rugby, he played with my boy off and on since he was four," Rudd said.
"He was such a beautiful kid and we just loved him, so we want to keep his memory alive and help the younger kids deal with it.
"I know it's really affected a few of them, my son included, and myself. I still get pretty teared up about it, so we're doing this to support the boys."
The day will feature 10 teams of 10 players from the age of 14 up. There is no upper age limit on participants, with some members of Goulburn's Fermented Reds and Crookwell's Dated Dogs expected to take part.
They will play off for the Luke McCue Memorial Cup, which was donated by Luke's parents. The McCues, Rudd said, have been deeply involved with everything the club has done in Luke's memory, including the custom jerseys they had made for the Under 18s.
"They're an amazing family," Rudd said.
"We've kept in touch with them the whole time. John actually handed out the the jerseys out to the boys the week before the games started.
"They're fully part of what we're doing on the 25th. They really want to support the kids, they're really genuinely caring people and they're concerned about his friends."
After the competition has concluded, a dinner will be held with musical performances scheduled, along with auctions and raffles of items such as a Brumbies jersey, one of the custom Dirty Reds Under 18s jerseys, and services from some local businesses.
The funds raised on the night will go to Goulburn Rugby Union, with an eye towards making the event a regular fixture.
The Luke McCue Memorial Cup will be held on Saturday, September 25, at Poidevin Oval. Further details will be released by the Goulburn Rugby Union Club when available.
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