GRAND FINAL DOMINATION: Junior Blues win North West Group 4 JRL decider in style

Narrabri and District Junior Rugby League’s under-16s team head coach Lee Browning was always confident that his junior Blues side would cruise past whoever they met in the North West Group 4 Junior Rugby League division two grand final at Scully Park on Saturday, and his players proved him right as they demolished Dungowan Cowboys 54-6 in the big dance.

The Narrabri boys outscored their opponents 10 tries to one and five conversions to one, and they also kicked a penalty goal in their 48-point victory in Tamworth.

There were nine teams in this year’s under-16s competition, the top four of which were split off into division one after eight rounds. Narrabri narrowly missed out, and they were disappointed as they felt the ladder was not an accurate reflection of where they truly sat among the nine teams following washouts and players missing matches through rep honours during those first eight weeks.

However, they continued to train hard as they set their sights on winning the division two plate, which they achieved in style on Saturday.

Browning told The Courier that he was proud of his players, and he declared that a clash against division one winners Farrer, who beat Collegians 50-10 on Saturday, was one he really wanted to see to determine which team really was the best in 2025.

“It was a good win. They were very clinical and they played very, very well,” Browning said.

“It was close to the best they’ve played all year. They definitely lifted for the grand final, but they were a lot better team than what they played against.

“I would have really loved to have been in the division one final and give Farrer a run for their money, because they gave Collegians a touch-up in that game as well.

“Last time we played Collegians, we flogged them, so I think us and Farrer was the final everyone wanted to see.

“It’s still been a really good season for us. Watching these young fellas develop as football players, you can’t ask for anything more. It’s been great watching them improve.

“There’s 11 or 12 of the boys who are 16 this year and can’t play again next year. Hopefully we can get at least eight or nine of them going through to the 18s next year, and Narrabri fields teams in the seniors. It would be great for our little community.”

Narrabri started strongest on Saturday and it was Mason Humphries who scored the first try, which captain Frazer Penberthy converted to make the score 6-0.

Cruz Ryan was next to cross, putting Narrabri in front by double digits, and Lucas Duff then helped create the next try with a powerful run that led to Penberthy crossing and kicking the goal to make it 16-0.

Duff went over himself with seven minutes left to play in the first half, and Penberthy’s third successful conversion of the day put Narrabri up by 22 unanswered points.

The junior Blues boys squeezed in another try before the half-time break as a Penberthy kick put Callum Lawler over in the corner, which the skipper converted to make the half-time score 28-0 in Narrabri’s favour.

Dungowan was first to score in the second stanza as a converted try kicked off the Cowboys’ comeback attempt, but Narrabri quickly put any hope of that to bed as Lawler went over for his second try of the contest and Penberthy kicked a penalty conversion from in front. That made it 34-6, which became 40-6 with 15 minutes to go when Chayce Browning charged away for a 60-metre try that Penberthy was also able to convert.

Browning crossed again with 10 minutes left to play to make it 44-6, and the junior Blues then cracked the half-century with just under five minutes remaining as Levi French converted a Gabe O’Connor try.

Jacob Anderson then dived over to score the final try of the game as the junior Blues prevailed 54-6.

O’Connor was named player-of-the-final after the five-eighth produced an impressive effort to help guide his side to the win. Coach Lee Browning commended O’Connor’s efforts and said that award was a well-deserved one, which also could have gone to several other junior Blues players for their efforts as well.