Narrabri Rugby Club is now in possession of two of the three CNRU Kookaburra Challenge Cups after the Blue Boars’ reserve grade men defeated Barraba in front of a home crowd on Saturday.
The Rams arrived at Dangar Park with the cup after winning it off the Moree Bulls earlier this month, and the Blue Boars became just the third team to take hold of it after Moree had started the campaign with it and went through their first seven games undefeated.
Narrabri won the round 11 contest 31-12 after outscoring Barraba five tries to two and three conversions to one, and it was the Jim Schwager show as the gun number eight earned his side a bonus point single-handedly with the Blue Boars’ first four tries of the contest. He scored three of those in the first half, the first of which Matt Bradshaw converted, as the Blue Boars entered the half-time break with a 17-5 lead after Isaak Johnson went over for the Rams’ first try in the 28th minute.
Liam Mack scored and converted a try less than five minutes into the second stanza to make the score 17-12, but Schwager’s fourth and a Todd Farrer try, both of which Bradshaw was able to convert, saw Narrabri storm home to a dominant 19-point victory.
The Blue Boars’ team manager and assistant coach Mick Coffey thought his side’s attack was impressive but admitted their defence still needs some fine-tuning as the race to the finals heats up.
“I think that in attack, we couldn’t be happier,” Coffey told The Courier.
“We went out there with a mindset that we would dominate possession and starve them of opportunities, which we did really well. Having a stab in the dark, I reckon we had 80 per cent of possession by full-time.
“We were pleased with the organisation and communication that we showed in attack. It was really impressive.
“On the other hand, we’re still struggling to fall into defensive shape quickly and adapt, and our communication there is still not great.
“For me, it was a nine out of 10 for attack, and seven out of 10 for defence.
“Looking at our team list, we’re down on cattle at the moment. There are three under-18s in there playing key roles, and we knew we were facing what is essentially a first grade team in Barraba. We knew we’d have to stand up and have a real dig, which the guys certainly did, probably over and above what anyone was really expecting.
“I’m really proud of that team.”
The minor premiership is now out of the Blue Boars’ reach after Moree won their ninth match in their 10th outing of the campaign in round 11 as they downed Quirindi Lions 31-14 to move to 49 points.
The two results saw fourth-placed Narrabri (33 points) go within striking distance of Barraba (36 points) and Quirindi (34 points) with three rounds remaining.
The Blue Boars will most likely need to win all three of their games on the run home to sneak into second to meet Moree in the qualifying semi-final, and that run starts this Saturday with an important away trip to Tamworth to face the Pirates in round 12. Pirates are four points behind the Blue Boars in fifth place and can overtake the Narrabri men with a win, so finals football is no guarantee for the Blue Boars.
A win would likely see Narrabri climb into third place as Barraba host Quirindi in round 12,
Meanwhile, Narrabri’s first grade team had the bye in round 11 on Saturday.
The minor premiership is now out of their reach as well, as they moved to 36 points while the Gunnedah Red Devils won 47-22 away from home at Inverell to go to 48.
Third-placed Moree Bulls (39 points) beat the second-placed Quirindi Lions (40 points) 27-19, so a second-place finish and a home grand final are still up for grabs for the Narrabri Blue Boars’ first XV.
The club’s women’s team demolished Barraba 70-0 to remain undefeated and keep the CNRU women’s Kookaburra Challenge Cup in their possession.
All three teams will travel to Tamworth this Saturday to challenge the Pirates in round 12.
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