READY TO RUMBLE: Narrabri Touch to host season two grand finals at Dangar Park

Narrabri Touch will crown their 2023 campaign season two champions this Sunday at Dangar Park as eight teams get set to contest four grand finals.

Proceedings will get underway with the B-grade ladies’ decider between CBRE and Hounddogs, and then the men’s B-grade decider between DTA Timber Lumberjacks and Cougars will be played afterwards.

An under-12 exhibition match will then be contested before the A-grade ladies’ grand final between Twisted Blisters and the SPA Redbacks and the men’s big dance between Lations and Grumley Builders.

Lations, Twisted Blisters, the DTA Timber Lumberjack and CBRE were all the top teams on the ladders of their respective divisions, and they all qualified through to grand final night with major semi-final victories on Monday, November 13.

The teams that will meet them in the deciders were all required to qualify through the preliminary finals earlier this week on Monday, November 20.

Three of the four teams that lost the major semi-finals went through to the grand finals, with only ladies’ A-grade side SPA Redbacks progressing after playing in the minor semi-final.

The defending champs placed third on the A-grade ladder and outscored Bluebirds 3-1 in the minor semi-final.

They then met Specialised Quarries and Concrete in Monday’s preliminary final and scored a nail-biting 8-7 win to join Twistered Blisters on Sunday.

Holly Ford scored four of her side’s tries in that win, and her teammates Cassidy Morley, Miranda Hamilton Shona McFarland and Tashanny Clark all went over for a try each.

Heidi Campbell bagged a double for Specialised Quarries and Concrete, and Gerri Cruckshank, Georgia Hunt, Natalia McInnes, Abby McClure and Angie Knox all chipped in with a try each as their side bowed out of the competition.

In the A-grade men’s competition, Grumley Builders won their playoff match 12-6 against Wilga Pelicans to join Lations in a rematch of the 2022 grand final at Dangar Park.

Jacob Booby went over for four tries for Grumley Builders in that game, Gabe O’Connor, Nick Coffey and Jock Small all bagged doubles, and Nick Anderson and Harry Pattison scored a try each.

The Pelicans’ six tries were shared evenly between Toby Bentley, Jacob Nichols, Nathan Dicks, Craig Gleeson, Aiden Butcher and Brendon Warnock.

In the B-grade ladies’ preliminary final, Hounddogs downed Touch ’n Go 5-0 to join CBRE in the decider.

Tia Schmiede and Alex Reed both crossed for two tries each in that game and Natalee Trow scored the other.

In the B-grade men’s preliminary final, Cougars outscored Ballbusters 7-5 to join the Lumberjacks in the big dance.

Clayton Bruce scored a hat-trick for Cougars, Andrew Wallace bagged a double and Josh Buckthought and Dylan Segundo went over for a try each.

Connor Parkes scored two of the Ballbusters’ tries and his teammates Matt Hall, Ken Nolan and Richard Whan claimed the other three.

Fixtures and referee appointments for this Sunday’s grand final evening at Dangar Park, the home of Narrabri Rugby Club, are as follows:

5.30pm – B-grade ladies – CBRE v Hounddogs (referees – Wayne Nott, Kristie Toomey and Clayton Pursche).

6.05pm – B-grade men – DTA Timber Lumberjacks v Cougars (referees – Linton Grumley, Clifford Toomey Junior and Jydon Hill).

6.40pm – Junior game – Orange v Green (referees – Bernard Gabbott and Brett Allison).

7.15pm – A-grade ladies – Twisted Blisters v SPA Redbacks (referees – Terrence Duncan, Abby McClure and Ken Nolan).

7.50pm – A-grade men – Lations v Grumley Builders (referees – Brendon Warnock, Craig Gleeson and Nathan Dicks).