The three Narrabri Shire polocrosse clubs all played their way to podium finishes at the 2025 NSW Club Championships tournament held in Coolah across the weekend, and they have now set themselves impressive standards to attempt to exceed in the future.
Cassilis Polocrosse Club hosted the annual event on Saturday and Sunday, at which more than 300 players across 52 teams took part.
Narrabri Polocrosse Club had 31 players in action across seven teams, Galloping Gully had 18 players competing across five teams, and Cubbaroo had six players in one team.
Narrabri took out the open B-grade division following an undefeated weekend. That team consisted of Makayla Elford, Jessie Ross, Dion Morris, Brian Honeyman, Harry Giffen and club president Trent Mortimer, who went through the weekend undefeated after knocking off Jugiong 14-11 on Saturday morning, Mendooran 11-10 on Saturday afternoon, Jugiong again 16-14 on Sunday morning and Mendooran again 17-15 on Sunday afternoon.
Their division was a round robin and their four straight wins saw them finish at the top of the points tally.
Their weekend became even more successful when Mortimer was named best number three in the division at the awards presentation.
Cubbaroo’s impressive season continued as they took out the open D-grade division after also going through undefeated to top the points tally. Edwina Keft, Eloise Schwager, Harris Burke and Mitch, John and Billy Brodigan teamed up for the Wee Waa club and they won 14-10 against Guyra on Saturday morning, 16-8 against Dunnedoo in the final match on Saturday, and then 21-1 against Narrabri and 14-9 against Mendooran on Sunday morning.
Billy and Mitch also both earned individual honours following a successful weekend, with Billy named best number one in the division and Mitch taking out best number three.
One of Narrabri’s newest young players also impressed across the weekend as Olivia Wilson was named best number three in the C-grade women’s division. She teamed up with Gully’s Emma and Clare Campbell, Sally Hunter and Megan Mackay, as well as Lake George’s Chloe Mannell, and they also took out their division in unbeaten fashion following 13-6 and 15-6 victories against the two Muswellbrook teams on Saturday and a 10-9 win over Harden on Sunday morning to top the points tally.
Hunter also earned an individual honour in that division as she was named best number two in the division.
Another Gully team also enjoyed success across the weekend as Dylan Duncan, Geoff, Max and Hugh Hunter, Campbell Williams and Matt McInnes teamed up to place second in the open C-grade division.
There were six teams in that division, split into two pools of three, and the Gully men topped pool B after taking down Yass 16-9 on Saturday morning and their local rivals Narrabri 17-6 on Saturday afternoon.
That put them through to the semi-finals on Sunday morning, during which they met pool A runners-up Muswellbrook and prevailed 16-5 to set up a showdown against Quirindi in the final on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams entered that match undefeated, and they were tied at full-time to force an extra time period. Quirindi eventually prevailed 13-12 to be crowned champions.
Max Hunter was named the best number three in that division after the Gully gun played some brilliant polocrosse across the weekend.
Cooper Kong from the Narrabri junior B-grade team was also among the award winners as he was named best number two in their division.
A results list from the event is as follows:
Sub-juniors:
Winners – Guyra One, runners-up – Gulgong, best number one – Bailey Yeo, best number two – Roley Anderson, best number three – Ellen George.
A-grade juniors:
Winners – Quirindi One, runners-up – Lake George, best number one – Walter Greentree (Quirindi), best number two – Jack Arentz (Lake George), best number three – Nikko Anderson (Quirindi).
B-grade juniors:
Winners – Jugiong, runners-up – Quirindi two, best number one – Alec Western (Jugiong), best number two – Cooper Kong (Narrabri), best number three – Reece Clark (Braidwood).
A-grade women:
Winners – Bunnan, runners-up – Gulgong, best number one – Alane Parkinson (Bunnan), best number two – Maya Scott (Bunnan), best
number three – Skye Anderson (Gulgong).
B-grade women:
Winners – Quirindi, runners-up – Albury, best number one – Elissa Koch (Albury), best number two – Bec Cardile (Albury), best number three – Jaimie Duddy (Quirindi).
C-grade women:
Winners – Galloping Gully, runners-up – Muswellbrook Three, best number one – Montana Ross (Harden), best number two – Sally Hunter (Gully), best number three – Olivia Wilson (Narrabri, playing in the Gully team).
A-grade opens:
Winners – Quirindi One, runners up – Jugiong One, best number one – Mitch Anderson (Bunnan), best number two – Wayne Stevenson (Bunnan), best number three – Chris Anderson (Quirindi).
B-grade opens:
Winners – Narrabri, runners up – Mendooran One, best number one – Julia Stuart (Mendooran), best number two – Ben Hagney (Mendooran), best number three – Trent Mortimer (Narrabri).
C-grade opens:
Winners – Quirindi Two, runners up – Galloping Gully, best number one – Pat Gallagher (Quirindi), best number two – Mick Dimond (Quirindi), best number three – Max Hunter (Gully).
D-grade opens:
Winners – Cubbaroo, runners-up – Guyra, best number one – Billy Brodigan (Cubbaroo), best number two – Amy Hagney (Mendooran), best number three – Mitch Brodigan (Cubbaroo).
A-grade mixed:
Winners – Albury, runners up – Guyra, best men’s number one – Jim Grills (Albury), best men’s number two – Darcy O’Sullivan (Albury), best men’s number three – Islay Young (Albury), best women’s number one – Katie Grills (Albury), best women’s number two – Georgia Cardile (Albury), best women’s number three – Lauren Sibley (Albury).
B-grade mixed:
Winners – Muswellbrook, runners up – Bunnan One, best number one – Andrew Rose (Bunnan), best number two – James Mulligan (Gulgong), best number three – Brad Wamsley (Bunnan).
C-grade mixed:
Winners – Gulgong Three, runners up – Bunnan Two, best number one – Billy Bowd (Sydney), best number two – Wendy Thompson (Gulgong), best number three – Nicholas Perret (Bunnan).
Major awards:
Champion sub-junior ASH – Kelsey Mulligan (Gulgong) – Dartbrook Maserati; champion junior ASH – Nikko Anderson (Quirindi) – Edenhope Smokey; champion mixed ASH – Katie Grills (Albury) – Berragoon Maybelline; champion ladies’ ASH – Grace Halsted (Bunnan) – Halsteds Shakira; champion Men’s ASH – Hayden Turnbull (Quirindi) – Halsteds Elsa; champion sub-junior player – Bailey Yeo (Yass); champion junior player – Walter Greentree (Quirindi); champion ladies’ player – Skye Anderson (Gulgong); champion men’s player – Chris Anderson (Quirindi); champion horse of the carnival Chris
Anderson (Quirindi) – Jiggles; champion club – Quirindi (winners with 112 points), Guyra (second with 84 points), Bunnan (third with 80 points).
