Kangaroos to battle Norths for outright second place on the Group 4 table

Outright second place on Group 4 Rugby League’s first grade ladder is up for grabs when Boggabri Kangaroos travel to Jack Wooaston Oval to tackle North Tamworth Bears in round 10 this Saturday.

With just five rounds remaining in the 14-round campaign, Norths and Boggabri are ranked second and third, respectively, locked on 13 points following six wins and two losses each as well as a draw against one another in Magic Round.

They were both victorious last weekend in round nine to climb one spot up the ladder as they overtook the Gunnedah Bulldogs, who fell from second to fifth after being beaten by the now-fourth-placed Moree Boars at Boughton Oval on Sunday.

Boggabri earned a 52-0 shutout victory against the Dungowan Cowboys in front of a large sponsors’ day crowd at Jubilee Oval on Saturday while Norths travelled to Kootingal Sportsground and took down the Roosters 44-22.

The other round nine fixture ensured that the Boggabri and Norths showdown this Saturday is even more crucial. Top-ranked Werris Creek Magpies travelled to Cook Oval and cruised past Wee Waa Panthers 60-18 to remain undefeated and four wins clear in top spot, so a loss at Jack Woolaston Oval will see either the Kangaroos or Bears drop out of minor premiership contention.

Given how tight the finals fight is in 2025, a loss could also see Boggabri or Norths slip to fifth if Moree and Gunnedah both win their respective matches as the Boars travel to Dungowan and the Bulldogs host Werris Creek.

Twice in the past two weeks a side has dropped from second to fifth, with Moree doing it in round eight and Gunnedah in round nine.

Boggabri’s coach Shane Rampling is well aware of what is on the line this weekend as the round 10 contest kicks off a four-game run for his side against teams fighting for the finals spots.

“It’s a massive game for both clubs, with the winner to go up into outright second, no matter what the other results are,” Rampling said.

“It’s a great opportunity for us. We’re now coming into that period where there’s four tough games for us that will decide where we finish and who plays finals, so we’re going over there to test ourselves and see where we’re at against one of the top sides.

“We need to start well. We came back against Norths last time (a 32-all draw in round three), we came back against Gunnedah (a 24-20 win in round six) and we scored the last three tries against Moree when we played them (in a 46-12 loss in round five). We finish games strong and we can definitely come back in a game, no doubt about that, but we’re going to have to start better this weekend.”

Boggabri are set to welcome back Josh Trindall, Isaiah Adams and Tevita Peceli for their trip to Jack Woolaston Oval, while skipper Matt Gillham is expected to come off the bench again after making his return from injury in the 52-point victory against the Cowboys.

Cameron Kerr will still be missing, but the Kangaroos are now close to full strength once again.