Tries rain down in fifth round of mixed touch competition

While the wet weather held out long enough to allow Narrabri Touch to host the fifth round of its 2022 mixed season on Monday evening, it was raining tries instead at the Cooma Oval fields.

There were 75 tries scored across the seven matches as the 14 teams all took the field.

Two of those teams – Agies and Tradies and Ladies – extended their undefeated runs to five games.

Tradies and Ladies scored their fifth consecutive victory when they beat Lumberjacks (and Jills) 6-2 to extend their run at the top of the ladder.

The side was awarded a 5-0 victory in round one after it received a forfeit and has since won four straight games a combined 44-4. Its points difference is 45, which is the best in the competition by 15.

The closest match of the round was contested by Agies and the Tapscott Pumpers, which both went into the round undefeated after the two teams had previously each scored four wins from as many games. Agies prevailed in a nail-biter as it edged out Tapscott Pumpers 6-5.

That continued a season of close games for Agies, which has won the three matches it has played in the first five rounds by a combined five tries. Its points difference is 30 less than fellow undefeated side Tradies and Ladies despite Agies being boosted by two 5-0 wins as a result of receiving forfeits.

The Tapscott Pumpers are one of three teams that have a 4-1 record and are ranked the second highest of those teams.

In front of the Pumpers by just one in the for and against column are the Sprayerbarn Spinouts. The Spinouts backed up a 16-2 round four victory by keeping a clean sheet in a 12-0 rout of the Witty Wizards in round five on Monday. The Spinouts have now scored 42 tries and have only conceded 12 in the 2022 competition.

Hammer Time is the third team to boast a 4-1 record after the opening five rounds of the season after it outscored Kerrigans 10-1 on Monday.

Just behind them with a 3-2 record is TRTW, which ended its two-game losing streak on Monday when it beat Who’s Shout 6-4 in round five.

Meanwhile, two teams scored their second wins of the season in the fifth round. That duo included Hounddogs, which outscored RSL Guys and Gals 7-4, and Win Or Booze, which beat Cougars 8-4.

Hounddogs remained ahead of Win Or Booze on the ladder as it drew one of its other three games.