Narrabri Eleven FC secure maiden Namoi League minor premiership and earn home grand final

The 2024 Namoi Local Competition grand final will be held in Narrabri this year after Narrabri Eleven FC won Saturday’s qualifier.

The Elevens secured their first minor premiership in the club’s eight-year history this year, which saw them earn the right to host the major semi-final on home soil at Gately Field.

They took on second-placed side Moree Services FC Blue in that match and scored a 3-1 victory to ensure the decider would also be contested at Gately Field.

The other semi-final on Saturday was an elimination battle, which the Moree Services FC Yellow team won 6-3 at their home ground against Wee Waa United FC.

Steve Phelps scored first in that game to give Wee Waa a 1-0 lead and he then set up their second goal with a corner kick that Ryan Creasey headed home to make the score 2-1 after the hosts had equalised.

Moree managed to score two more goals before half-time to go into the break with a 3-2 lead, and they added two more after the break to go ahead 5-2.

Phelps then scored his second goal of the contest to reduce Wee Waa’s deficit to two goals, but Moree sealed the win with a late strike to make the final score 6-3.

That result meant that Wee Waa are now out of the competition and the two Moree teams will battle it out in the preliminary final this Saturday to join the Elevens in the September 7 decider.

The Elevens have dominated the competition from start to finish this year. They kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win over Moree Blue and went on a six-game winning streak before being held to a nil-all draw by Moree Yellow in round seven.

They bounced back with dominant 9-0 and 14-1 victories against local rivals Narrabri FC and Wee Waa, but suffered their first and only loss of the campaign in round 11 when they were beaten 4-1 by Moree Blue.

They were victorious in their final three regular-season matches, one of which was a forfeit win over Narrabri FC, and they outscored Wee Waa 10-0 in round 14 before sitting out with the round 15 bye.

That saw them end the year ranked first with 31 points following 10 wins, one draw and one loss. They finished up with the competition-best for and against difference of 58 after scoring 66 goals and only conceding eight, and they kept seven clean sheets in their 12 games.

Moree Blue placed second with 28 points following nine wins, a draw and two losses, and they finished the regular season with the best defence as they only conceded seven goals all year before their semi-final loss.

Moree Yellow ended up third with 17 points following five wins, two draws and two losses, and then Wee Waa and Narrabri FC were fourth and fifth.

The two lowest-ranked sides met one another at Cook Oval in the 15th and final round of the season and Wee Waa produced the highlight of their year as they prevailed in a seven-goal thriller.

The two sides both entered the last-round match having won one game, drawn one game and lost nine games as they were locked on four points each. A semi-final spot was on the line in that game and Wee Waa managed to get the job done 4-3. That saw them finish the year with seven points and Narrabri FC remain on four points at the bottom of the five-team table.