Finals fever has finally descended on Cooma Oval for Narrabri Touch’s 2023 season two campaign, with the men’s comp post-season beginning earlier this week and the ladies’ playoffs to get underway next week.

Eight men’s sides were in action as they contested the qualifying and elimination final games on Monday evening, with the sides ranked second and third going head-to-head and the teams ranked fourth and fifth playing off.

Minor premiers Lations (A-grade) and the DTA Timber Lumberjacks (B-grade) both had the night off with a bye in week one of the finals, and will return to the field in week two for major semi-final showdowns against the two teams that prevailed in the qualifying finals.

In A-grade, that team was the Grumley Builders after the defending champions scored a nail-biting 9-7 victory against a determined Wilga Pelicans outfit.

Harry Pattison scored a hat-trick in his side’s two-try win, Jacob Booby crossed twice and Nick Anderson, Lincoln Saunders, Nick Coffey and Linton Grumley all went over for a try each.

Aiden Butcher bagged a double for the Pelicans and his teammates Jacob Nichols, Brendon Warnock, James Baker, Jake Packer and Jess O’Neil all claimed one each.

The Wilga Pelicans’ loss saw them go through to next Monday’s minor semi-final.

Their opponents will be Win Or Booze after they beat GeeBangers 9-5 in the elimination final to claim the other minor semi-final spot.

Nathan Hamblin was dominant for the winning side in that game as he went over for four tries, while Keegan Richardson and Sam Carberry both bagged doubles and Caleb McDonald scored the other.

Blake Brown scored a hat-trick for GeeBangers and their other two tries were claimed by Nathan Nott and James Thomas.

The result saw GeeBangers’ season come to an end as they have now been eliminated.

The B-grade competition qualifying final was won by Cougars as they got up 9-6 against Ballbusters to join DTA Timber Lumberjacks in the major semi-final.

Rowan Keeler scored a hat-trick in that win, Dylan Segundo bagged a double and the other four Cougars tries were shared between Michael Knox, Andrew Wallace, Kaleb Mowle and Jeffrey Harvey.

Ballbusters’ Ken Nolan also claimed a hat-trick, and his teammates Paul Bushby, Murray Scott and Richard Whan all crossed once each.

Ballbusters now turn their attention to the minor semi-final in week two of the finals series, which they will play against NFC.

NFC lined up in the B-grade comp’s elimination final on Monday evening and came away as 6-5 winners against Namoi Brothers following the closest game of the evening.

Ryan Williams bagged a double for NFC and his teammates Bernard and Baxter Gabbott, Connor Cassidy and Seamus Hunt all scored a try each, while Namoi Brothers’ five tries were shared between Jarrad Lawler, Cody and Levi French, Leondre Smith and Rodney Gibbs-Eulo.

The Namoi Brothers have now been eliminated from the competition.

The women’s teams all lined up for friendly games on Monday night to stay sharp ahead of their three-week finals series, which will get underway with major and minor semi-finals next week.

The full fixture list and the referee appointments for the second week of Narrabri Touch’s season two finals series on Monday, November 13, are as follows:

6pm:

Field one – A-grade ladies’ minor semi-final – SPA Redbacks v Bluebirds (referees – Cathy Conomos and Abby McClure).

Field two – B-grade ladies’ minor semi-final – Wilga Westies v Touch ‘n’ Go (referees – Mereka Gleeson and Emily McFetridge).

Field three – A-grade men’s major semi-final – Lations v Grumley Builders (referees – Nathan Dicks and Ken Nolan).

Field four – B-grade men’s major semi-final – DTA Timber Lumberjacks v Cougars (referees – Caleb McDonald and Brett Allison).

6.35pm:

Field one – A-grade ladies’ major semi-final – Twisted Blisters v Specialised Quarries and Concrete (referees – Tianne Parker, Lidia McCauley and Terrence Duncan).

Field two – B-grade ladies’ major semi-final – CBRE v Hounddogs (referees – Fiona Redfern, Georgia Brennan and Wayne Nott).

Field three – A-grade men’s minor semi-final – Wilga Pelicans v Win or Booze (referees – Lachlan Trindall and Jydon Hill).

Field four – B-grade men’s minor semi-final – Ballbusters v NFC (referees – Scott Purcell and Patrick Mowle).

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