Full Proten Community Cup Round 4 wrap

By Tallon Smith

Bluebirds celebrate centenary with win over Barellan

The Hillston Bluebirds have strengthened their grip on a finals spot in the Group 17 Proten Community Cup competition with a 28-22 win over rivals Barellan Rams in the main game at Stan Peters Oval on Saturday.

In front of around 750 spectators on their centenary celebration day, the Bluebirds converted a fast start into a victory through two late tries, holding off a resilient Barellan side who clawed back from being down 12-0 early on to level the scores at 16-all in the second half.

Hillston Captain-Coach Jock Potter said getting the win in the milestone match was great for the club.

“[It] felt great, especially at home,” he said.

“We had a good crowd and a lot of the old fellas [were] back again.”

“Yeah, the boys played well, and we got over the line in the end which was good.”

Potter said the club’s success both on and off the field has had a positive impact upon the community.

“It means a lot to the town and the community,” he said.

“COVID was a hard thing to go through, so to have rugby league gets the boys back into town and socialising in town.”

In regards to the premiership race, Potter didn’t discount the Bluebirds, but highlighted two sides which he believes are the teams to beat.

“Goolgowi and Narrandera I think are the benchmarks,” he said.

“They’ve [both] got a big forward pack and they’re pretty fast out wide.”

“[There’s] a lot of areas we have to improve on.”

“So we’ll train hard and see what we can do, but I think we can be there at the end.”

Photo: Hillston and Barellan before kickoff in the second half late on Saturday afternoon.

For the Rams, the loss sees them remain winless after four rounds, heading into a clash with fellow winless side Rankins Springs next weekend, with both sides in a desperate bid to avoid the wooden spoon.

Barellan Rams Fullback Noah Forbutt said that despite the loss, the team is “slowly improving” over the course of the season.

“It was a tough day out there,” he said.

“Hillston at home, it was always gonna be a tough one.”

“We stuck in there for a bit, but we just missed out at the end there.”

Despite the situation the team is in with just two rounds to go, Forbutt still believes the Rams can make the finals, something which would require Barellan to win their final two games and Ivanhoe to lose their final two games to Narrandera and the Rams themselves.

“To push for that [fourth] spot would be unreal,” he said.

“A couple of injuries got us early in the year and we’re just trying to push over that line to get that spot.”

Looking ahead to next weekend, Hillston will tackle local rivals Goolgowi, whilst Barellan face Rankins Springs.

Narrandera demolish Rankins Springs in powerful display of premiership credentials

Everything the Narrandera Lizards touched turned to gold in a 50-4 thrashing of Rankins Springs in the middle game on Saturday.

The bounce of the ball always seemed to favour the Lizards, with the Springs side only really in the ball game until half-time, as the defending premiers took their opportunities in attack and showed why they are arguably the team to beat in 2023.

Narrandera Captain-Coach Kye Longford said the win was “pretty pleasing” after a bruising opening to the encounter.

“We got a roll on there which made a huge difference, and they sort of gassed out a bit,” he said.

“That first half was tough, they were right in it at half-time.”

“But that win was a pretty big win, which added a few points [to the differential].”

Longford was still full of praise for the opposition, with the two clubs sharing a fierce on-field rivalry but mutual respect and admiration off of it, a key hallmark of the Proten Community Cup.

“They’re still a very well drilled side, got their good structures and simple sort of play,” he said.

“They’re very straight up and down footballers, they’re tough and they keep bringing it and they don’t stop coming.”

Although his side is sitting pretty on top, Longford was still well aware of the challenges that lay ahead if his side are to repeat their title this season.

“These next two weeks are going to be the telling sign,” he said.

“Ivanhoe, obviously we’ve got that rivalry, they’re very strong.”

“Goolgowi at Goolgowi is gonna be extremely tough.”

“They’re looking very well drilled, I think they’ve sort of settled on their final team and got some players back.”

“I think Goolgowi’s the team to beat, Ivanhoe obviously on their day when they get their players back will be right up there as well, [and] Hillston.”

Photo: A Rankins Springs attacker being met by Narrandera’s defence.

For the Dragons, the scoreboard was no reflection of the effort the side put in, but more a testament to Narrandera’s sustained dominance in both field position and possession.

Rankins Springs President and winger Brent Parsons said that the club has “got to look forward” rather than dwell on the outcome of Saturday’s match.

“It was a horrible game for us on our behalf,” he said.

“A few injuries, a few guys pulling out being sick doesn’t help.”

“It’s head down, bum up, you’ve just gotta look forward to next week.”

“[There’s] two weeks left in the comp, so [we’ve got to] just finish it strong.”

A particular standout in the losing effort for Rankins Springs was Jamie Parsons, who scored the side’s only try.

Next weekend, Narrandera take on Ivanhoe in the much-anticipated Grand Final rematch, whilst Rankins Springs face Barellan.

Rabbitohs-Roosters showdown ends in Goolgowi dominance

The Goolgowi Rabbitohs have thumped the Ivanhoe Roosters 36-4 in a massive warning to the rest of the competition as the league turns the corner towards finals.

The Rabbitohs dominated the match from start to finish, with fullback Henry Taylor being the standout for the boys in red and green, scoring a scintillating runaway try in his side’s victory.

Speaking of Taylor, the Goolgowi Fullback said that it was “good to put in back-to-back performances again” heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.

“It was a good performance,” he said.

“We were missing a few, but we dug deep and played on from last week.”

Taylor believes his side is on target for a tilt at the title in 2023, with the team peaking at the right point of the year.

“We’re hitting our straps, but we’ve gotta keep it up and roll on into finals,” he said.

“We’ve got a good strong [group of] boys, so hopefully we give it a good run.”

Photo: Ivanhoe players exchange handshakes with their Goolgowi counterparts after Saturday’s match.

Ivanhoe Coach Kodie Charles said that his side’s loss “reflects back to attitude.”

“The last few weeks, we haven’t been training that good,” he said.

“We’ve been winning games, like the knockout, and won the first two games, and we haven’t been training.”

“I think the boys think they can do it week in week out, but it showed the last two weeks we’ve played that you’ve gotta train and you’ve gotta come with the right attitude.”

However, Charles hasn’t given up hope the team can deliver Ivanhoe its maiden Senior Men’s or First Grade title in the club’s history in 2023.

“I said to the boys today, we’ve got our sights set a little bit high at the moment, thinking about finals.”

“We’ve gotta get our game back on track.”

“I honestly think if we get it back where it needs to be, we will be contenders in the semi finals.”

Next weekend Ivanhoe face Narrandera whilst Goolgowi tackle arch-rivals Hillston.

Women’s Nines Wrap

In the Women’s competition, the pacesetting newcomers Barellan Rams continued their undefeated streak in their inaugural campaign courtesy of a 36-4 demolition of Hillston. Monique Higgins dominated again with 2 tries and 6 goals for a personal haul of 20 points.

Defending Premiers Narrandera also joined the winners’ circle for Round 4 with an 18 points to 12 win over a gallant Rankins Springs side. With the match finishing at three tries apiece, Kiara Crowe’s heroics with the boot proved the difference, kicking three goals in addition to scoring two of her side’s tries for a personal total of 14 points.

Photo: A picturesque and well-accomodated Stan Peters Oval in Hillston on Saturday.

In the opening encounter of the day, Ivanhoe defeated Goolgowi 32-8, with Nanise Tale and Sophia Kelsey scoring doubles for the Roosters and Rabbitohs respectively.

After four rounds, Barellan lead the way, followed by Ivanhoe and Narrandera, with Hillston trying to ward off Goolgowi and Rankins Springs for the final place in the top four.

A little nod to the Springs

On a quick side note, Battlers For Bush Footy would like to highlight the efforts of the Rankins Springs Dragons in raising over $9,000 for the Family of League Foundation during their home round last week.

Dragons President Brent Parsons said the event was part of the “community aspect” of the club and league.

“After our home game, we sold our jerseys, we had 20 jerseys we sold off to raise money for the Family of League,” he said.

“We raised $9,000 [and] number 13 made $1000 itself.”

“Tommy Judd wore it, [and] the guy who wore it in the 1993 First Grade bought his number back.”

“We had our 70 year and 30 year reunion, for the 1993 [side] who won the Clayton Cup and the Gleeson Shield,” he said.

“We have two guys left from the 1953 side, so Sid Wade, who is 95, he came down and handed the jerseys out to the boys.”

“The pub was packed, there would have been 200 people sitting outside.”

“We had over 800 people through the gate, a great night at the pub, that’s what it’s all about.”

In addition to the donation to Family of League, Parsons also said the club also intends to donate some of the money to a local community member and clubperson who has faced a health battle in recent times.

From Battlers For Bush Footy, congratulations to all involved at the Rankins Springs club in what was a hugely successful event.