Australian rules football returns to Narrabri

Australian rules football will finally return to Narrabri next month when Leitch Oval hosts AFLNW matches between the Gunnedah Bulldogs and the New England Nomads.

The round 13 contests on Saturday, July 22, will be home games for the Bulldogs and a significantly special occasion for several of the Gunnedah men’s team’s players who hail from Narrabri.

The Narrabri Eagles were unable to attract enough player interest again this year, so the club was unable to enter a team in the north west comp.

The Eagles had spent the past two seasons playing within a joint venture alongside the Moree Suns, however, that did not continue into 2023.

That meant Eagles players were forced to look elsewhere for a game and they were welcomed with open arms down the Kamilaroi Highway in Gunnedah.

Playing for the Bulldogs in 2023 has seen Wolseley Oval turn into a home ground for several Narrabri players, including the Eagles’ club president Alister McClenaghan, vice-president Corey Robinson, Callum Cragie and Joshua Buckthought.

The Gunnedah Bulldogs’ generous decision to give those teammates a real home game in Narrabri excited Robinson, who could not wait to play at ‘the Eagles Nest’, Leitch Oval, later this year.

“It’s really exciting to be able to play back here at home and to have the chance to promote the sport here in Narrabri,” he said.

“Hopefully we get a big crowd down there to watch us back at home.

“If you’re not doing anything on the day, come down and watch and cheer us on.

“If you like what you see, come down to training and we will get you on board next year and hopefully we can bring the mighty Narrabri Eagles back into the comp.”

The July 22 matchday will be the first time that AFLNW fixtures will have been played at Leitch Oval in a year since the Eagles/Suns joint venture side hosted Tamworth Kangaroos on July 23 in 2022.

Proceedings will get underway from 9.30am when the Narrabri Auskickers take the field and enjoy a 90-minute session until 11am.

The women’s match between the Gunnedah Poochettes and the New England Nomads women will begin at midday, and then the men’s match between the Bulldogs and Nomads will get underway at 2pm.

There will also be a barbecue lunch and bar facilities available on the day.

The women’s match could be a high-scoring affair given the Gunnedah side’s dominance over New England this year.

The teams have met twice already, with Gunnedah prevailing 21.37 (163) to 1.0 (6) in round two back in April in Gunnedah and 20.18 (138) to 0.1 (1) in round seven earlier this month in Armidale.

Their third and final encounter of the regular season will be in Narrabri on July 22.

The Gunnedah men’s team is yet to win a game in 2023 but has had a few close encounters.

Defending champs New England Nomads are currently ranked second and have beaten the Bulldogs quite convincingly on both occasions.

The Gunnedah men went down by 99 points on home soil against New England in round two in April by a score of 19.19 (133) to 5.4 (34), and then the Nomads comfortably won 22.25 (157) to 4.7 (31) in Armidale in round seven on June 3.

That was the Bulldogs’ sixth loss in six games, but Robinson believes that his side is starting to turn a corner.

“We are improving quite a lot,” he said.

“We are coming close to beating teams, but we sometimes seem to blow it in the last few minutes of the match.

“But the further the season goes on, the better all of the combinations are getting, so I think we are due for a win soon.”