Boggabri and District Rugby League Football Club hosted their first home games of the 2024 Group 4 Rugby League season on Saturday, and their ladies league tag team kicked off proceedings with a 20-12 victory over the Narrabri Bluebirds.
It was a classy team performance by a Kangaroos outfit that was forced to come from behind to get the job done, however fullback Cassidy Morley was a clear standout as she starred with a hat-trick and an assist and earned the three Group 4 best and fairest points.
The hosts went behind early in that match when the Bluebirds crossed for the first try of the contest in the third minute as Laine McCauley found a gap close to the line down the right edge and charged through it to score, with Angie Knox setting up the four-pointer with a perfect short ball.
The two sides went back and forth searching for the game’s next points, and it was Morley who delivered them after breaking the line on halfway and charging 50 metres to score between the posts in the 17th minute. She then kicked the conversion to put Boggabri ahead 6-4, which was the way it remained at half-time after 25 minutes of play.
Boggabri went on the attack early in the second stanza when a dazzling Morley run put them on the front foot 15 out from the line. The hosts earned a repeat set after Narrabri dropped an intercept attempt and then during the ensuing set Morley put Zara Wise through a hole down the right edge to make the score 10-4.
It then became 14-4 as Boggabri scored again during the next set and it was Morley who again proved to be too hot to handle for Narrabri’s defence as she went on another brilliant 50-metre run, stepping her way past four defenders on her way to the tryline.
The away side hit back 11 minutes into the half through Olivia Verrier. Taneika Cochrane showed class and skill to scoop up a loose ball after her kick was charged down by a Boggabri defender, and she beat two defenders before being stopped on the tryline. The Bluebirds had numbers right and Velvet Craigie acknowledged that and found Taylah Fogarty with a well-timed dart and pass out of dummy half before Fogarty spread it to Verrier who went in to make the score 14-8.
It became 14-12 when the visitors scored again with 10 minutes to play to reduce their deficit to two points. Krista Zarka made a line break from 40 metres out from her line to put Narrabri on the front foot, and once again Craigie made the right play as she took possession of the ball at first receiver and went right again, finding Emmjay Baker with a sensational cutout pass to put her teammate over in the corner.
The visitors well and truly had the momentum at that stage, but their comeback attempts took a significant blow in the 45th minute when Morley completed her hat-trick following yet another classy run. She then kicked the conversion to make it a two-possession game as the score became 20-12 with five minutes left to play.
The Bluebirds pushed hard to get back within one possession, but Boggabri held them out to earn the eight-point victory, their first win of the year after going down against North Tamworth and Gunnedah away from home in the first two rounds of the season.
Narrabri are still searching for their first win of the year after being beaten in all of their opening three games.
The Bluebirds and the Roos will both be in action again on Sunday in round four of the Group 4 Rugby League campaign. Boggabri are away against Wee Waa at Cook Oval and Narrabri will host Moree at Collins Park.
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