Narrabri Junior Rugby Club’s under-18s girls team crowned North West Regional Youth Rugby champions

Narrabri Junior Rugby Club’s girls’ program hit an unprecedented height on Friday when the under-18s side was crowned champions of the 2022 North West Regional Youth Rugby competition.

The junior Blue Boars took on Scone in the decider under the bright lights of Tamworth’s Scully Park, and they were sensational from start to finish as they produced a sharp shutout to earn grand final glory.

The grand final teams contested two 20-minute games of tough 10s rugby on the night.

The Narrabri girls raced away to a 24-0 victory in game one and then prevailed 15-0 in game two to win by an overall score of 39-0.

During those two games, the junior Blue Boars were brilliant at both ends of the field as they defended superbly and attacked clinically.

The victory was a rewarding finish for the players and coaches, one they have been building towards for four years.

Narrabri Junior Rugby Club’s junior girls’ program got off the ground back in 2019, and the under-14s and 16s teams were both crowned plate (tier two) champions in 2020 in the club’s debut girls’ Friday night competition.

Coaches Denis Harvey, Matt Jones and Bob Ford have been with the girls every step of the way and could not have been any more proud of the side on Friday.

Harvey told The Courier that he was thrilled with the team’s grand final performance.

“It was a game between two very good but very different teams,” he said.

“After our very tense golden point win (against Scone in the qualifying final) the week before, we knew that Scone had very strong forwards, and they were very good over the ball and in the scrum.

“In contrast, we knew that we had a very classy backline with plenty of speed.

“So, out of a healthy respect for a well-coached Scone team, a clear game plan was developed – start as fast as possible, get the ball to our wingers with deep, long passing and exhaust the big Scone forwards.

“And our girls executed this plan to a tee.

“During the first 10 minutes, our girls played almost perfect rugby, and within a very short period we were leading 19-nil.

“Scone was trying desperately to place defenders onto our speed in Amalie (Gosper) and Miranda (Hamilton), but this only opened up gaps on the inside, which Martha (Harvey), Brooke (McKinnon) and Tashanny (Clark) greedily took advantage of.

“Scone then adjusted and started defending closer to the ruck but the girls reacted immediately, and this allowed Amalie and Miranda to hit space and score out wide.

“It was clinical, and it was beautiful to watch.

“Before long we were able to take the game away from Scone, and the title was ours.”

Harvey believed the platform for Friday’s victory was established off the back of the strength of the side’s golden point win in the qualifying final a week earlier, which he said gave the Narrabri girls confidence.

“It’s important to note that our forwards held their own,” he said of the grand final performance.

“By not allowing Scone to get any dominance or any inroads up the middle, this allowed our backs to shine.

“To our forwards Zara (Foley), Lillian (McMillan), Grace (Hardy), Rahni (Drumgold), Jazlyn (Corey), Lexi (Conroy), Emmy (Barr),
Emmjay (Baker) and Claudia (Penberthy) – you were all brave and amazing.

“To our backs – Martha (Harvey), Brooke (McKinnon), Tashanny (Clark), Amali (Gosper), Miranda (Hamilton), Meika (Foley) and Laine (McCauley) – just fantastic to watch.

“Jonesy, Bobby and I have received so many compliments on the style of rugby that you played, and this makes us and Narrabri Junior Rugby Club so proud.”

Harvey said that while six players in Martha, Brooke, Rahni, Zara, Alexis and Emmy would no longer be able to play in the club’s junior program in 2023 as they will be too old, there will be a strong team that will include many faces from Friday night’s victory as well as some new ones progressing from the under-16s that would set out to defend this year’s title.

Narrabri and Scone went into the decider as the two best sides after they finished placed first and second on the six-team ladder.

The fact that neither of them played a home game during the 2022 campaign made that even more impressive.

The Narrabri Junior Rugby Club side played 11 matches during the regular season, winning eight of those, drawing one and losing just two.

They then met the Scone girls in the qualifying final on Friday, August 12, and prevailed 5-0 as a Miranda Hamilton try in golden point sent them through to the decider.

Scone then won 15-5 against Calrossy in the preliminary final to join Narrabri in Friday’s grand final.

Just over the road at Tamworth’s Ken Chillingworth Oval, Narrabri Junior Rugby Club’s under-14 and under-16 boys sides lined up in the North West Regional Youth Rugby’s tier two grand finals.

The under-14s scored a thumping 43-7 victory after they led 19-0 at the half-time break, and then the under-16s side went down 36-24.

Narrabri Junior Rugby Club’s under-14s girls’ side was also scheduled to play a tier two final at Chillingworth Oval. However, that game did not go ahead after Calrossy forfeited the match.