by Tallon Smith (02/07/2022)

Best Articles of 2022 #2

Hillston have come from the clouds, after being last on the table for most of the season, to scrape into the Proten Community Cup Rugby League top four with a win over a COVID-ravaged Rankins Springs.

Hosting the final round of the modern incarnation of Group 17 for 2022, the Bluebirds held off a gallant Rankins Springs side missing 11 players due to COVID-19 Isolation and injury to record a 30-18 victory in one of the competition’s biggest rivalry games. As a result of the win, the Bluebirds have displaced Barellan to claim 4th spot and will face Rankins Springs again, but at full strength, next week in Ivanhoe.

Hillston Captain-Coach James Williams, interviewed by Battlers For Bush Footy earlier this season, never gave up on his squad. “We’ll be up there, we’ll be playing for a Grand Final spot,” he said after Hillston’s opening game of the season. Now, they have the chance to do just that over the next couple of weeks.

Earlier, the Ivanhoe Roosters stormed to a 22-6 victory over a resilient Goolgowi to wrap up the 2022 Proten Community Cup Minor Premiership. The Roosters, who last won the Minor Premiership in 1994, will now host Semi Final action at the famous Sahara Oval next weekend, whilst the Rabbitohs pick up the wooden spoon after a tough but gallant 2022 campaign.

Roosters halfback Victor Ward, who hails from the Northern extremity of Cobb Country in Wilcannia, has played an instrumental role in his club’s success this season, as the competition’s second highest pointscorer and a serious best and fairest contender.

In the middle game, Narrandera sealed a top two finish with a 38-12 demolition of Barellan. They will now face the minor premier Ivanhoe Roosters in Ivanhoe next weekend for a spot in the Grand Final to be played in Barellan on July 23rd, whilst the Rams have been leapfrogged by Hillston for 4th place and will not feature in the finals in their centenary year.

The final round of the hugely successful Women’s 9s competition saw Hillston 12 defeat Ivanhoe 0, Narrandera 26 again held Ivanhoe to 0, and Rankins Springs shut out Hillston 14-0. Goolgowi, Narrandera, Hillston and Rankins Springs advance to the finals which will run parallel to the Men’s Finals Series.

Congratulations from Battlers for Bush Footy to the Ivanhoe Roosters on winning the 2022 Proten Community Cup Group 17 Minor Premiership!