Narrabri Rugby League Football Club’s under-18s side will play finals footy in 2022 after prevailing on home soil in a must-win match at Collins Park on Saturday.
The Blues took on the Werris Creek Magpies, and both sides went into the round 18 fixture locked on 24 points.
A draw would have been no good for the Narrabri boys as the Magpies had the better for and against difference, so when the score was locked at 16-all with five minutes to go, the home side needed someone to stand up.
And that is exactly what happened when Isaiah Cochrane crossed for the match-winning try with four minutes left on the clock before the Blues held on to win.
The Blues had gone into the half-time break with a 12-0 lead but were then outscored 16-4 in the second stanza before Cochrane sealed the deal.
Chris Clarke, Daniel McMillan and Tim Shields also scored tries for the Blues and Bernard O’Connor slotted three of the four conversions.
That result saw Narrabri finish in fourth spot on the under-18s ladder and earn a place in Saturday’s minor semi-finals at Kootingal. They will play against third-placed Dungowan in that elimination match for a spot in the preliminary final the following weekend.
The winner of the minor semi-final will challenge either minor premiers Gunnedah or second-placed Farrer in the preliminary final.
Those two teams meet on Sunday at North Tamworth’s Jack Woolaston Oval with a grand final spot on the line in the major semi-final.
Narrabri and Dungowan both won five games each in the 2022 regular season, but while Dungowan drew one and lost four, the Blues lost their other five matches.
That saw the Cowboys finish one point ahead of Narrabri in third place on the ladder.
The two minor semi-finalists have played against one another twice this year, with Dungowan winning 30-6 at home against Narrabri back in round four on Saturday, April 30, and then Narrabri winning 28-24 against the Cowboys at Collins Park in round 13 on Saturday, July 9.
Meanwhile, the Narrabri Blues’ first and reserve grade sides both signed off on their 2022 campaigns with wins in front of a home crowd on Saturday at Collins Park.
Narrabri demolished Werris Creek 68-18 in the main game to finish what was a tough season on a positive note.
Tom Bruce ran in four tries in that match, Sam Sadler bagged a double and Daniel Howe, Todd Nichols, Tom Varty, William Abbott and Dylan Hohnberg crossed once each.
Jock Small kicked nine conversions to finish the game with 18 points, and Hayden Bell slotted one conversion.
The Blues finished sixth on the nine-team ladder on 16 points, two behind fifth-placed Boggabri and 10 behind fourth-placed Moree.
Other first grade games in round 18 saw North Tamworth wrap up the minor premiership with a 46-36 away win against Boggabri Kangaroos, and Kootingal secure third place with a 24-22 victory on the road against Gunnedah.
Winless Manilla Tigers forfeited the other game against the fourth-placed Moree Boars, and the second-placed Dungowan Cowboys had the bye.
In reserve grade, Narrabri won 32-30 against Werris Creek on Saturday. Cameron Yates scored 24 of the 32 Narrabri points after crossing for four tries and kicking four conversions, and teammate David Annis-Brown bagged two tries.
That result saw Narrabri move into fourth place on the live ladder, and to remain fourth and qualify for the finals series, the Blues needed Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters to lose on Sunday against Gunnedah.
However, the Roosters got the job done with a 44-16 win to rise from fifth to third.
Narrabri finished the season on 22 points following nine wins and seven losses, just one point behind fourth-placed Dungowan and two behind the third-placed Roosters.
First-placed Moree Boars won by a forfeit from seventh-placed Manilla, and last-placed Boggabri lost 62-6 at home against second-placed North Tamworth.
In ladies’ league tag, Narrabri lost 26-12 against Werris Creek in their final game of the year, and Boggabri lost 54-0 against North Tamworth.
To order photos from this page click here
