Blue Boars hit the ground running in preparation for Santos Festival of Rugby

Narrabri Rugby Club’s 2023 campaign officially began last week on Tuesday, January 10, with, in the words of the club’s president and women’s team coach Mick Coffey, “overwhelming numbers”, when more than 30 players trained in the club’s first session of the year.

“It was fantastic to see that many people to the very first one. It would be a record, I feel,” Coffey said.

The club has trained twice since, with sessions to be held at Dangar Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.

With both the men’s and women’s teams playing at the Santos Festival of Rugby on Friday, February 10, the group had a month to prepare.

The feeling is that the teams are keen to prepare themselves well and are up for the challenge ahead in 2023, which sees a long season through to the finals of the Central North Rugby Union competition in September.

“It’s going to be a long year, no doubt about that,” said Coffey.

“But with good numbers means there’ll be healthy competition for spots, and it will cover for injuries and absences, so it’s encouraging.

“What is exciting is there’s a few new faces, some faces that are returning to rugby after time out of the game, plus the regular crew, so there has been a good vibe.”

It is not just the regular men’s and women’s teams who are training ahead of the Santos Festival of Rugby.

There have been a bunch of middle-aged men in old Narrabri Blue Boars kits getting about town either jogging, riding bikes, doing hill sprints next to the bridge or throwing a ball around at Dangar Park on Wednesdays and Sundays since early last month.

The Narrabri Rugby Club’s old boys team, the ‘Pickled Porkers’, will be playing a team made up of former NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds and Wallabies past players in what will be the opening game of the festival.

“It’ll be a bit of fun,” Coffey said.

“I don’t know if the scoreboard will keep up with the flow of points, but I hope it sets the tone for the festival as a fun, enjoyable experience.

“We’ve got a full squad and we are excited. No one can figure out exactly how many games for the club in total between us but it’s thousands.

“I reckon one of the best things has been just getting a bunch of us back together and doing a bit of exercise, getting the joints moving, having a bit of air forced deeper into the lungs and just catching up.

“We’re certainly not as agile or fit as we were, and the skills are a bit rusty, but it’s great fun.

“When we’re not puffing too much, the banter is top shelf.”