A Cowra product who had signed to play at hooker for Panthers in 2007, he is honoured every year when the Panthers and Magpies play for the annual Chad Nealon Memorial Challenge Cup.

The 2022 edition will be staged this Sunday and it is set to be the biggest yet. Not only will the day include four senior games - Group 10 league tag and reserve grade fixtures, Western under 18s and the first grade Peter McDonald Premiership clash - but junior fixtures as well.

"I think it's a great day for rugby league, this year Cowra is celebrating 100 years of rugby league so it ties in good that we can take four senior teams and we've also got three junior league tag teams playing over there beforehand, so it's going to be a big day," Bathurst Panthers president Dave Hotham said.

"It's a game that we look forward to playing every year, we've had a few Cowra players over the years come to Panthers, and it's always been a good cup to win.

"I was on the committee when he passed away in a car accident, but playing for it every year, it means a lot to a lot of guys at the club, so we treat it with as much respect as we can."

READ MORE: Doolan nabs a brace to help Bathurst Panthers defeat Wellington in Peter McDonald Premiership

READ MORE: A look at the 13 teams who will line up in the 2022 Peter McDonald Premiership

READ MORE: Norton takes on his maiden coaching role with CSU Mungoes

While Cowra did not field a first grade side in Group 10 last season, given the respect for the Nealon family the cup still went on the line.

It was Panthers who prevailed, having won the first division and under 18s clashes as well as drawing the league tag fixture.

But this season the Magpies have once more formed a first grade team. Like Panthers, they made a winning start to the new Peter McDonald Premiership.

Panthers accounted for Wellington 32-12 on the road, while the Magpies were at home when beating Lithgow 32-14.

Sunday's clash between the pair at Sid Kallas Oval will not only carry the most weight in the points system used to determine the winner of the Chad Nealon Memorial Challenge Cup, but it will be the first time the top grade sides from the clubs have met since 2019.

"It's good to see a town like Cowra with all the players getting behind them. It's good to see them back in first grade," Hotham said.

"I hope that they get stronger every year so that we can keep as many teams in the comp as possible.

"It will be the first time we've played them in first grade since 2019, the year before we played them in a grand final at Cowra. So it's good to see them back."

For the league tag and reserve grade outfits Sunday will be their Group 10 season openers, while the junior league tag fixtures between the under 11s, 13s and 15s will be a good warm up ahead of their round one games on May 1.

"We've got to get the juniors as strong as we can, get them coming through, so it's good to see Cowra with good juniors again," Hotham said.

The first of the junior games will kick off at 8.45am with the first senior games commencing at 11.30am.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: