Narrabri Blue Boars fall short in round one at Weebolla Oval

Narrabri Rugby Club’s first grade coach Craig Gleeson thought there were plenty of positives from his side’s round one performance despite a 14-point loss against Moree Bulls on Saturday.

The Blue Boars travelled to Weebolla Oval to kick off their 2026 Central North Rugby Union campaign and they were beaten 36-22 by their rivals and the 2025 season grand finalists.

There were worrying signs early as the Narrabri men were well below par in the first half and at one stage trailed 29-5.

An improved performance in the second stanza saw them pile on three tries to make the score 29-22 with just 10 minutes remaining in the match, but the Bulls managed to hold off a fast-finishing Narrabri outfit as Ben Williams converted a William Brooks try with six minutes left to give his side a two-converted-tries lead, and it remained 36-22 at full-time.

Gleeson admitted his side’s first-half efforts were not good enough, but was thrilled with the way they refused to give up and were able to get back in the contest during the second half.

“We were still a really good chance when we got it back to 29-22. I think there was still nine minutes to go at that point, and we were actually in an attacking position there for a good chunk of time after Willo’s try,” Gleeson said.

“A few things just didn’t go our way, and Moree ended up getting an exit and they got a runaway try to put us away.

“At 29-22, I thought if we scored again we’d come home over the top of them and win it.

“We put ourselves in that position though, to be honest. Our first 50 or 55 minutes wasn’t what we expected from ourselves.

“We turned over a lot of footy. When we had the ball, we looked quite good. But like in our trial games, we didn’t respect the footy enough.

“Teams like Moree take advantage of that.

“A two-try loss up there isn’t the end of the world for us. It paints a good picture now of where we need to be better too.

“I was really proud of the boys with how they played in the last 20 or 25 minutes. I thought they really bounced back well.

“It was amazing how a couple of decent shots in defence made us start looking like a new team.

“There were plenty of positives out of that last period of the game.

“The scoreline might have flattered us a bit, but that game showed how good a footy team we can be when we put patches of football together.”

Gleeson said the Blue Boars would work hard at training during the week and would look to take the positives from Saturday’s opener into their round two clash against Quirindi Lions.

The defending champions started the season on the front foot with a dominant 56-33 home win against Gunnedah Red Devils, and the other round one clash saw Inverell Highlanders score a 24-22 away win against Tamworth Pirates.

The Bulls struck first in the match at Moree and it was their powerful winger Asesela Ravuvu who opened the scoring in the sixth minute. The hosts were attacking deep in Narrabri territory, and Williams found his winger with a brilliant cutout pass that allowed him to go over in the corner to make the score 5-0.

It then became 10-0 eight minutes later when Mitchell Adams won a race to a loose ball that he had kicked into the in-goal. The halfback grounded the ball in between the sticks before

Williams missed a drop goal-style conversion from right in front as the ball cannoned away off the crossbar.

Moree continued their hot start to the game in the 25th minute as Ravuvu grabbed his second try with a powerful push over the line after he had received a pass a metre out, and this time Williams made no mistake as he nailed the kick to put the hosts up 17-0.

That had become 22-0 by the 35th minute, with Moree making a 14-man Narrabri outfit pay moments after winger James Baker had been yellow-carded for knocking down a pass close to the Moree line. The Bulls restarted with a linout, and then after attacking the left post, they spread the ball back to the right and Lachlan Markey crossed in the corner on the wing that Baker had just vacated.

Narrabri needed something to go their way as they stared down a first-half shutout, and it did in the 37th minute when Joe Baker scored the Blue Boars’ first try of the season. The fullback caught a Moree kick near his tryline and returned a kick that bounced on the halfway line. He had pushed up to defend his kick, but the ball bounced back towards him and he was able to get to it first before racing 50 metres to score.

Jock Small’s conversion attempt from a few metres in from the left sideline missed to the right and the Blue Boars trailed 22-5 at half-time.

It quickly became 29-5 as Ravuvu completed his hat-trick just four minutes into the second stanza and Williams slotted his second goal of the contest.

Narrabri were back to 15 players a minute later as Baker returned to the field, and they started to work their way into the match before they brought it to life just before the hour-mark.

The visitors fed a scrum 10 out from the line on the right in the 58th minute before spreading the ball left and needing three plays to put winger Andrew Weber over in the corner for his first try as a Blue Boar.

That made the score 29-10, which then became 29-15 four minutes later when the Blue Boars threw in a lineout a few metres out from the tryline and Jake Packer capitalised with a sharp run that saw him cross for Narrabri’s third.

Co-captain Will McDonnell ensured his side would go home with at least one point in the 68th minute when he charged over following a quick tap from a penalty from close range, with his try securing a four-try bonus point for the Blue Boars.

However, they wanted all five and they found themselves with a great chance of achieving that when Small converted from in front to make the score 29-22 as Narrabri cut the deficit to one converted try.

The visitors pushed hard to find a try that would allow them to level up the score, but it was Moree who struck next when Ravuvu made a break from inside his own half and passed inside to Williams Brooks, who ran 30 metres to score before Williams kicked the goal that made the final score 36-22.