Josh Trindall backs his Blues boys to get better

The Narrabri Blues are down but they are certainly not out, and the club’s first grade coach Josh Trindall is very confident that he and his men can turn their fortunes around soon.

Narrabri was beaten by a combined 146-24 on home soil across the first two rounds of the Group 4 Rugby League campaign and the task at hand was not going to get any easier on Sunday when the Blues travelled to North Tamworth to challenge the defending champions, the Bears, at Jack Woolaston Oval.

While the visitors did go down 52-4, there were plenty of positives to take out of the match.

One of those was the side’s start to the game, as Narrabri came out firing and led after 10 minutes following Trindall’s early try to put his men ahead 4-0.

It was a brilliant try as the captain-coach chipped the ball over the top and landed it between the defensive line and fullback before regathering, passing to Trey Doolan and getting up off the ground to receive a pass back and then score.

The Bears eventually fired back and Narrabri went into the half-time break down 36-4, but the Blues only conceded 16 points in the second stanza.

The side’s captain-coach was proud of some of the early signs.

“We are getting better and better,” he told Group 4 Media after the match.

“We started well.

“That first 25 minutes was great. We defended well.

“It’s just little periods are killing us.

“We’ll be better.”

Trindall told The Courier that the Blues were putting in a lot of effort, and he was confident that positive results were on the way.

“The effort is there. We are getting down there on Wednesday and Friday nights and training hard,” he said.

“I’ve got no doubts that we’ll click here eventually.”

He also said that he and his teammates appreciated the huge amount of support they have been receiving from the Blues faithful so far this year.

“The community, and the support we’ve been getting, has been unreal,” he said.

“Ninety-five per cent of people understand what is going on and we don’t pay attention to the other five per cent. You’re always going to get that five per cent where ever you go.

“Our crowds have been unreal and they’re still supporting us.

“They can see that we’re trying hard.

“The boys are very thankful for that.”

The Blues suffered a few injuries in the round three match. Their captain-coach is one of those players as he strained his hamstring and will now miss two to four weeks.

He will be replaced at halfback by Doolan while he coaches his team from the sideline.

Meanwhile, young Narrabri prop Jeff Harvey continued to show what he is made of in North Tamworth on Sunday as he produced yet another impressive performance in a Blues uniform that saw him earn two Group 4 best and fairest points.

Harvey has been playing 80 minutes in the front row each week and earned praise for the way he is going about his business from Trindall.

North Tamworth’s Mitch Sheridan and Dalton Desmond-Walker earned the three points and the one point, respectively.

Sheridan scored a try in his side’s 48-point victory, while Jake Vost and James Cooper both bagged doubles and Jack Patterson, Ashton Constable and Jake Bennett all scored a try each.

The win was the North Tamworth Bears’ second of the season as they continue to bounce back from a 36-28 loss at Jubilee Oval in round one.

Narrabri is currently ranked last on the eight-team first grade ladder.

The Blues were also in action in reserve grade and ladies league tag matches in North Tamworth in round three.

The hosts won both of those games as they outscored the Bluebirds 62-4 in the tag match and then downed the Blues 46-24 in reserve grade.

Georgia Hardman went over for Narrabri Rugby League Football Club’s first try of the day when she scored the visitors’ lone try in ladies league tag. Her teammate Tyanna Gaydon earned two Group 4 best and fairest points in that match.

Bailey Toomey bagged a double for Narrabri in the reserve grade contest and his teammates Malik Dennis and Dylan Segundo scored a try each. Doolan kicked four goals and also earned two Group 4 best and fairest points.

The Blues will be hoping a loud home crowd can cheer them home to their first wins of the season in all grades this Sunday when they take on the Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters at Collins Park.