Old boys’ day triumph sees Boggabri Kangaroos climb into third place

Boggabri Kangaroos are now just two games from returning to the Group 4 Rugby League first division first grade finals series for the first time in decades following a runaway 44-20 victory on home soil against Werris Creek on Saturday.

The Kangaroos led the Magpies 16-4 when the half-time whistle sounded at Jubilee Oval and then outscored them 28 points to 16 in the second stanza to make the club’s 2024 old boys’ day a memorable one in round 15 of the 2024 campaign.

It was a victory that saw Boggabri climb into third place on the ladder and move within a point of second-placed Werris Creek with just three rounds remaining.

The Kangaroos are now locked on 21 points with the fourth-placed North Tamworth Bears and the fifth-placed Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters, and all three of them can jump Werris Creek if the Magpies lose at home in round 16 against the undefeated Moree Boars on Saturday and the Roosters and Bears get the job done in their home games against Dungowan and Wee Waa, respectively.

Boggabri’s for and against difference is more than 60 points greater than both Kootingal-Moonbi’s and North Tamworth’s, so the Kangaroos are guaranteed to either remain in third or climb up into second this weekend, given they will pick up the automatic two points for the bye. Their last two games will both be played at Jubilee Oval in rounds 17 and 18 when they meet Moree and Dungowan on home soil as they go into battle for a spot in the top four.

If they can achieve that, it would be the first time the Kangaroos have played finals footy in the top grade of first division in 60 years according to president Greg Haire, who predicts their 1964 premiership victory is their most recent finals appearance.

Saturday’s round 15 victory was a clinical one from a Boggabri point of view with the exception of a seven-minute period in the second stanza when Werris Creek ran in three tries.

The Kangaroos outscored the away side eight tries to four and six goals to two in the 24-point victory, and coach Shane Rampling said there weren’t many better feelings in rugby league than singing the team song loud and proud with past players on old boys’ day.

Rampling was pleased with the way his men bounced back following the ‘heart-breaking’ loss a week earlier when they let a 22-point lead slip away at Kootingal.

“The boys really played some good footy,” Rampling said.

“For 70 minutes, we pretty much dominated them. We took the foot off the pedal for about 10 minutes in the second half and let them grab three tries, and it got back to 28-20. I was thinking ‘this can’t be like Kooti. We can’t throw this one away’.

“We didn’t have the ball at all in that period though, and once we got it back and exerted a bit more pressure, we settled down and blew them away in the end.

“We defended well after that too.

“I think we played the footy that we know we can play. We know we can score points and cause other teams problems, but the majority of the game we defended well, especially on our line.

“I was happy with the mental side of things too. Getting over last week was heart-breaking, and to bounce back the way we did, I was really happy with.”

Rampling thought Saturday’s clash was akin to a semi-final game, given the importance of picking up two points for their top-four hopes, and was thrilled with the way his men stood up.

“I’ve got a really good football side here, and if they believe in themselves and the process of what we’re trying to do, I think we can achieve things,” Rampling said.

“We’re improving, and to win a game like that with our season on the line, that’s what semi-final football is about.

“Werris Creek are no slouches; they’re running second for a reason; they’re a good, physical side. We stood up to that and might have surprised a couple of teams with that result.

“I’m happy with where we are, but we still have a lot of improvement in us.”

The hosts struck first in the round 15 clash when Jack Gillham crossed the tryline to score and Ash White added to extras to make the scoreboard read 6-0. However, it quickly became 6-4 when Werris Creek hit back with a try of their own in the 21st minute through Ronin Hadden.

Boggabri’s response was swift as Rob Doolan scored their second try of the match in the 25th minute and White slotted the conversion, and they found themselves ahead 16-4 in the 34th minute when Isaiah Adams crossed for their third try.

The Kangaroos entered the half-time break with that 12-point lead, which they stretched to 24 points just 15 minutes into the second half after White converted Nick Millar’s try in the 48th minute and Andrew Wallace’s try in the 55th minute to make the score 28-4.

Werris Creek then clicked into gear and ran in three tries in seven minutes as Riley Leonard (57th), Nathaneal Slater (60th) and Cody Tickle (64th) went over for four-pointers. Mitch Doring kicked two of the three conversions to make the score 28-20 as Rampling found himself wondering if déjà vu would strike following his side’s capitulation a week earlier.

However, the Boggabri coach and a large home crowd breathed a sigh of relief in the 68th minute as in-form prop Millar scored his second try of the contest and White added the two points to put the Kangaroos out ahead 34-20 with 10 minutes to go.

The Boggabri men went on with it as Matt Avendano crossed in the 73rd minute and Josefa Goneduadua went over in the 78th minute, and White kicked his sixth conversion of the game a minute out from full-time to make the final score 44-20.

The victory was Boggabri’s first of the day after Werris Creek won the ladies league tag match 38-2 and the reserve grade contest 32-6, which left the Roos in fifth place on the reserve grade ladder and ninth on the league tag ladder.

Meanwhile, the other first grade matches across the weekend were won by Moree Boars, Dungowan Cowboys and North Tamworth Bears.

Moree scored their 14th victory in as many matches when they outscored the Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters 26-20 in the closest match of the round on Saturday afternoon before Sunday’s games saw Dungowan prevail 62-0 on home soil against Wee Waa Panthers and North Tamworth win 54-10 away from home against Narrabri Blues at Collins Park.

Gunnedah Bulldogs had the bye and will now host Narrabri this Sunday.