Narrabri Touch hosted the 11th and final ungraded round of their 2024 mixed competition on Monday night, which featured a highly-anticipated top-of-the-table clash with first place on the line.
Just Gammin entered the night as the top-ranked team and they stayed there following a 9-5 victory against the second-placed side Hammertime at Hogan Oval. Isaiah Cochrane led Just Gammin to victory with four tries. Teammates Jaylan Sharpley and Clifford Toomey Junior bagged doubles and Tyanna Gaydon claimed their other try. Hammertime’s tries were shared between Frazer Penberthy, Lachlan Trindall, Nick Coffey, Toby Knight and Tenayah Woodward.
Just Gammin’s win saw them finish the ungraded season as undefeated minor premiers following 11 straight victories. One of those was a forfeit, and they prevailed in the other 10 by a combined 110 tries to 37 to finish with a competition-best for and against difference of 78 and a maximum 33 points.
Hammertime placed second with 30 points following nine wins, a draw and a loss as their 10-game unbeaten run came to an end on Monday.
The team with the best defensive record across the 11 rounds was the Sprayerbarn Spinouts, who finished ranked third on the ladder with 29 points following their ninth win of the campaign on Monday as they downed Kerrigans 8-2. The Spinouts only conceded 32 tries across the 11 weeks, which was five fewer than Just Gammin.
Tradies and Ladies secured fourth place with a win in round 11 as they outscored Touch ‘n’ Go 10-1, and the three other games on Monday night were won 4-1 by Win Or Booze over the Wilga Pelicans, 5-2 by One Hit Wonders over RSL Guys and Gals, and 4-3 by Banksia Babes and Blokes over JWG Hounddogs.
The six round 11 results meant that all 12 teams remained in the ladder positions that they entered the night in. Those positions have determined which grade each team will compete in for the remainder of the season.
They have all been split into three groups of four for the run home. A-grade is made up of Just Gammin, Hammertime, Sprayerbarn Spinouts and Tradies and Ladies, B-grade is made up of Win Or Booze, Banksia Babes and Blokes, Wilga Pelicans and JWG Hounddogs, and C-grade is made up of One Hit Wonders, Kerrigans, Touch ‘n’ Go, and RSL Guys and Gals.
Teams will play matches against the opponents in their grades before the finals series gets underway.
The draw and referee appointments for round one of the graded campaign on Monday, May 6, are as follows:
6pm: Field one – Sprayerbarn Spinouts v Just Gammin (referees – Tom Nolan and Nat McInnes); field two – Win or Booze v Banksia Babes and Blokes (referees – Emily Flood and Bernard Gabbott); field three – Touch ‘n’ Go v One Hit Wonders (referees – Kristie Toomey and Brett Allison).
6.35pm: Field one – Hammertime v Tradies & Ladies (referees – Jock Small, Michael Knox and Mackenzie Knox); field two – Wilga Pelicans v JWG Hounddogs (referees – Jonty Schwager and Scott Purcell); field three – Kerrigans v RSL Guys & Gals (referees – Mark Rottger and Connor Parkes).
