Narrabri Rugby Club still has its sights set on the Central North Rugby Union first grade minor premiership but will not get a final crack at the inaugural Kookaburra Challenge Cup in 2022.

The Blue Boars’ first XV travelled to Walcha on Saturday for their round 16 clash where a second hat-trick in as many weeks for Linton Grumley drove them to a 44-12 victory against the Rams.

Grumley scored his hat-trick in the first half and earned the praise of his coach Jake Packer, who said that the number eight was excellent in his 45 minutes on the field as he continued to impress in his best season in Blue Boars colours.

Toby Knight rounded out the scoring in the first half with the visiting side’s fourth try to ensure that it would go home with at least a bonus point. The winger’s try made the half-time score 20-0, which became 30-0 early in the second half when Joe Hamblin and Hamish Moore crossed the stripe.

Walcha then hit back through tries to Henry Leslie and Edgar Bragg to reduce the deficit to 30-12 on the hour mark, but the Blue Boars went over for tries in the final 20 minutes through captain Will McDonnell, who scored in a sixth consecutive match, and Knight.

The winger converted both of those tries as Narrabri ran away with a 44-12 victory.

The Blue Boars are still second on the first grade ladder after bringing home five points from Walcha and they now sit just eight points behind ladder-leading Gunnedah after the Red Devils suffered their second loss of the 2022 campaign in round 16. The Gunnedah men travelled to Ken Chillingworth Oval, where they were downed 41-26 by the Pirates.

The Red Devils managed to secure a bonus point after scoring four tries in that match to move to 73 points with just two rounds left to play.

Narrabri is the only team that can catch Gunnedah. It can do that in the final round of the campaign when it meets the Red Devils in a round 18 top-of-the-table clash at Dangar Park.

The Blue Boars will earn five points when they sit out with the bye in round 17 this Saturday, so if Gunnedah loses its home game against Walcha, the minor premiership will be on the line in the final round.

While Gunnedah’s loss against the Pirates left the door open for a Blue Boars minor premiership and a home qualifying final, it did close the door on a potential Kookaburra Challenge Cup playoff in round 18 between the two top-ranked teams.

The Red Devils won the cup from Inverell in round 15, and if they had defeated Pirates and Walcha, the round 18 clash at Dangar Park would have seen them and Narrabri play off for the inaugural cup.

However, it will now finish in the hands of either Pirates or Scone when those two clubs meet in round 18 after the Pirates freshen up with a bye this weekend.

The other round 16 game was won by Moree at Weebolla Oval when the Bulls prevailed 73-3 against Scone in front of a home crowd to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

While they cannot overtake fourth-placed Pirates, Moree can still topple third-placed Inverell to finish the year in fourth place.

The Highlanders and the Quirindi Lions both had byes on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Narrabri Rugby Club’s second XV gained five points in round 16 after the Rams forfeited.

The Blue Boars went into the round in fifth place and jumped to fourth, overtaking Inverell following its 31-17 loss against Barraba/Gwydir on home soil.

The Blue Boars have the bye this weekend and will pick up five points which will see them remain in fourth place going into the final round.

Narrabri’s women’s 10s team also accumulated five points on Saturday as it sat out in round 16 with a bye. It still has a slim hope of finishing first on the ladder as it sits eight points behind Pirates with two rounds left to play.

Pirates scored their 10th win of the season on Saturday when they beat third-placed Gunnedah 41-5 at Ken Chillingworth Oval.

While Narrabri’s two senior men’s teams sit out with byes this Saturday, its women’s side will be in action. It travels to Gunnedah to take on the Red Devils in round 17 before playing them again on Saturday, August 20, at Dangar Park in the final round of the regular season.

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