BLUES ARE BACK: Narrabri Rugby League Football Club first grade side wins trial match at Collins Park

It was immediately evident that senior rugby league had been missed over the past year and a half as a packed crowd turned up to cheer on the Narrabri Rugby League Football Club first grade side during a long-awaited return to the field on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues boys certainly delivered too, winning their trial match against the Gilgandra Panthers at Collins Park 32-24 to give their fans plenty of hope going into the 2026 campaign.

Coach Hayden Bell was thrilled as his side was able to overturn an eight-point half-time deficit, outscoring the visitors by 16 across the third and fourth 20-minute quarters.

The Blues’ fitness got them over the line as the hard work and dedication shown by the players since the pre-season began on January 6 was on full display, and the match gave the club an idea of the areas they need to improve in as well.

Bell told The Courier that the day was a major positive from his perspective.

“It was a cracking day at Collins Park, and while it was unfortunate that the 18s couldn’t go ahead due to numbers from Gilgandra, it was great to see footy back at Collins Park and all the support we received,” Bell said.

“Considering there was only one game being played and it was only a trial too, I thought it was a massive crowd.

“Our pre-season started back in January, and what everyone has put in since then has shown the commitment and the direction that the club wants to go in, and that got displayed on the weekend, which is good.

“I thought our guys’ fitness prevailed in the end.

“We flew out of the blocks and we started the game sticking to our patterns and our structures, which led to an early try.

“From there, it was a little bit unfortunate that we went away from our structure a little bit, but during the game, the guys kept chipping away. It was really good to see that they never dropped their heads or lost focus of our goal.

“The boys were always there for each other and they were constantly turning up when needed, especially towards the back-end of the game when we defended three or four sets in a row and the defence on the line and commitment to get to the ball was what we needed.

“It was the best effort that I’ve seen from them.”

What the Blues’ coach wanted to see most was a win, followed by players standing up to put themselves in the picture to be named in round one, which he was pleased to see his side deliver.

“All in all, there wasn’t one disappointing effort out there,” Bell said.

“Like I said, the boys ground it out.

“Our main goal going into that trial was to win it. We spoke about that all week, coming into our first game back at Collins Park and knowing how much it means to everyone.

“It has been a community effort through what we have received in sponsorship and received in community support, so we really wanted to put our best foot forward for Narrabri.

“It’s given us a glimmer of confidence.

“We don’t just want to come back into the competition, we want to be competitive too.

“With the numbers that we have now, it’s really created an environment where if players don’t perform, they might not be playing the next week.

“We’re putting the emphasis on the boys that this is a performance-based team, and what I want them to know is that if they don’t perform, their spot could be in jeopardy.

“We’re only five to six players away from having a reggies too. We want a reserve grade team to give opportunities to more guys and to hold the boys accountable to their positions and compete for first grade spots.”

The Narrabri Blues celebrate Tom Bruce’s try during their 32-24 trial match victory against the Gilgandra Panthers at Collins Park on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Tom Pattison The Narrabri Blues celebrate Tom Bruce’s try during their 32-24 trial match victory against the Gilgandra Panthers at Collins Park on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Tom Pattison

Jed Smith launches a bomb high into the air at Collins Park during the Narrabri Blues’ 32-24 trial match victory against the Gilgandra Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Photos: Tom Pattison Jed Smith launches a bomb high into the air at Collins Park during the Narrabri Blues’ 32-24 trial match victory against the Gilgandra Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Photos: Tom Pattison

Zack Mallows charges down the wing. Zack Mallows charges down the wing.

Matt Penberthy breaks a tackle. Matt Penberthy breaks a tackle.

Angelo Afoa goes over for a try. Angelo Afoa goes over for a try.

Gus Smith outmuscles the Panthers’ defence and throws an offload. Gus Smith outmuscles the Panthers’ defence and throws an offload.

Jess O’Neil produces some of his trademark tough defence. Jess O’Neil produces some of his trademark tough defence.

Daniel Mcmillan was hard to handle. Daniel Mcmillan was hard to handle.

Lachlan Trindall palms off a defender. Lachlan Trindall palms off a defender.

Barry Carr impressed in his Blues debut with a hat-trick. Barry Carr impressed in his Blues debut with a hat-trick.

Kalab Mcmillan plants the ball down for a try late in the contest. Kalab Mcmillan plants the ball down for a try late in the contest.

Bell declared that while there was plenty to like from his side, there is still a lot to work on ahead of Group 4 Rugby League’s 2026 season opener on Saturday, April 18.

“Improvement-wise, we still need to learn a lot,” Bell said.

“That was only our first trial and a lot of those guys have never played with each other or hadn’t played for a number of years.

“We need to learn our patterns and the way we want to play our football, and we need to pick up on some defensive reads and errors too.

“Most of Gilgandra’s tries came from the exact same play, which I found a bit disappointing, that the boys didn’t notice it and fix that issue up after the first. That is where we will go back to the drawing board and really knuckle down on some defensive patterns and defensive reads, and try and get the guys back into the habit of positional play and awareness.”

Bell also said that while he was thrilled with the team’s performance as a full playing group, he was particularly impressed with the way Angelo Afoa played in his first senior rugby league game at 18 years old, as well as the Mcmillan brothers Daniel and Kalab, who were solid in the middle, and the dominant left edge that featured Moree boys Barry Carr and Richard Simpson.

Carr announced himself as one to watch early on as the left centre crossed for a hat-trick in the eight-point victory.

Afoa, Kalab Mcmillan and Tom Bruce were the other three try-scorers, and Bruce also slotted four conversions.

For the Narrabri Rugby League Football Club’s president Cameron Staines, Sunday’s event at Collins Park was a special one ahead of what he expects to be an exciting year for the club.

“It was an awesome feeling to get a Blues win at a home game at Collins Park. It’s been a long time coming,” Staines said.

“It really showed the commitment from the committee, the commitment from Hayden and his coaching team, and the commitment from the players.

“It was a typical trial game. What they’re all about is seeing where things go right and where things go wrong, and what positions players should be in.

“That was the same for us as a committee. We needed to find out where we need to be in our positions on gamedays and what needs to be done.

“We did a lot well as a club and we can improve on lots of things.

“It’s been a full club effort and it was just an awesome feeling there on Sunday.

“We’re hoping that it’s the start of a good and successful season.”