Boggabri Kangaroos edge out Narrabri Blues in Collins Park trial match

Narrabri Rugby League Football Club hosted its Narrabri Shire neighbours Boggabri and District Rugby League Football Club in three trial matches at Collins Park on Saturday afternoon as the two clubs had a final run ahead of the Group 4 Rugby League season, which gets underway on Saturday, April 15.

A huge crowd turned out to cheer on the two clubs and welcome the return of rugby league in 2023.

The Kangaroos won all three games but it was certainly not a walkover as the Boggabri club prevailed 8-4 in the ladies’ league tag game, 22-12 in the reserve grade fixture and 22-20 in the first grade match.

Both clubs’ first grade coaches told The Courier that they were impressed with what they saw in patches from their men, and added that they would work hard across the next two weeks at training to improve for round one.

The main game at Collins Park on Saturday was an entertaining contest that was played across four 20-minute quarters.

Boggabri half Clifford Toomey Junior opened the scoring with a try early in the game and the visitors then took a 10-0 lead.

However, Narrabri hit back when Trey Doolan took an intercept and ran 70 metres to score.

The Kangaroos then restored their 10-point lead just before the first break when they won possession from the kick off after the ball bounced and went dead.

Narrabri went on a surge during the next quarter and went ahead 16-14.

The home side later led 20-14 with 10 minutes left to play, but two late Kangaroos tries, including a Cameron Kerr match-winner with one minute left, saw the visitors score a two-point comeback victory.

The game was Blues captain-coach Josh Trindall’s first for Narrabri since 2019 as he took on his former Roos teammates, who he played alongside during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Trindall said that he was proud of his young side and he could not wait for the 2023 campaign to begin.

“There were a few little mistakes, but you expect that in a trial game,” he said.

“It was an awesome day and there was a massive crowd down there.

“I was proud as (of the Blues’ first grade players).

“They all impressed me. We have a young team but the boys kept hanging in there and fighting.

“One to 17, everyone just did their job.

“Some did better than others but I was proud of all of them.

“We made a few silly mistakes, mainly around the play the ball, but in patches we looked really good.

“There was a lot of effort and grit too.

“At 10-0 down and being such a young team we could’ve quite easily dropped our heads but we fought back and it got to 14-4 and we fought back again and we got in front.

“This might sound silly, but it was probably better that we did lose so we can take some good lessons out of it.

“But as I said to the boys before the game, the result means nothing, it was more there for us to get used to combinations and get a run in our legs.”

Boggabri Kangaroos coach Shane Rampling said he thought that his men would be better for the hitout.

“There’s a lot of improvement to come for us,” he said.

“We made a lot of mistakes, dropping the ball and forcing the pass, which I thought relieved the pressure off Narrabri.

“I thought that out of 80 minutes, we only played 30 minutes of decent footy to be honest.

“We had a mixed side in first grade though with seven first graders out and 16 out all up on the day.

“When we controlled the ball and controlled possession, I think we looked really good.

“But as I said we kept allowing them back into it with silly mistakes.

“But it’s a good learning curve and that’s what trials are for. We can fix that up for round one.”

Rampling said that he was quite impressed with a few Boggabri players in particular, including Toomey Junior, Kerr, Kyle Capper and three new faces in Dylan Lake, Shaun Donnan and George McClymont.

Narrabri and Boggabri will enjoy the Easter long weekend off and have turned their attention to round one home games against the 2023 season grand finalists.

The Kangaroos host the defending champions North Tamworth Bears on Saturday, April 15, and the Blues host last season’s runners-up Dungowan Cowboys at Collins Park that same day.