By Tallon Smith

The Narrandera Lizards have claimed a 24-18 win over the Ivanhoe Roosters in the Grand Final rematch in front of a raucous home crowd at the Narrandera Sportsground on Saturday Afternoon.

The Roosters stormed out to a 12-0 early on through tries to Lochyer Brennan and Patrick Little, with Ex-NRL star Joel Thompson turning it on for his junior club in the lead up to the second four pointer.

However, the Lizards hit back through Geoff Johnson and Campbell Lyons to level the game back at twelve apiece.

After half time highly-rated NRL prospect Campbell Lyons crossed to complete his double, briefly giving Narrandera a 6 point advantage, before Moe Clune scored to put the Roosters back on level terms.

With the game locked up at 18-all with time ticking down, Narrandera’s Jamain Morgan answered the call of the Lizards faithful, running in what turned out to be the match winning try, leading to a tense final few minutes before an incredible outpouring of joy from the healthy home crowd as Narrandera claimed a 24-18 victory to remain unbeaten in 2023.

Narrandera Coach Kye Longford said that the hard-fought victory over their Grand Final rivals shows his side is “continually improving” in the run into the finals.

“It’s a Grand Final rematch, Ivanhoe’s always tough, sort of like our local derby,” he said.

“They [Ivanhoe] always keep showing up, they’re a tough side.

“They know what they’re doing and they’re always up for it.

“Especially our young blokes, they haven’t been in that arm wrestle this year.

“It’s [about] when you get in the arm wrestle, what you do.

“We played to our talents, which is good.”

Although he showed moments of brilliance that only an NRL-calibre player can provide, Longford was full of praise for the way his side handled the supreme attacking threat of Joel Thompson.

“There’s always that extra effort when you’re playing against an NRL player,” he said.

“We had, on that side, a couple of brothers, Bodean and Jahrel Tereva, I thought they did pretty well.

“He still had that nous about him, that extra little bit, but I thought they played exceptional.

“They did jump out to that lead, but outside that there was not much focus on him at all.

“We had to just play our own game.”

Longford also praised the community for their support of the event, especially the local Indigenous community.

“We had our NAIDOC week, so we kicked off our celebrations for that,” he said.

“That got a good crowd, so I appreciate them coming out and putting on a show for us.”

Narrandera Assistant Coach D’Andre Williams said that his side put in a “strong effort” to close out the game and take the victory.

“It’s unbelievable winning at home mate,” he said.

“There’s no better feeling than coming home and putting on a show for everyone.

“This town has been through a lot over the last couple of years, and it’s just good to have a positive environment.”

For Ivanhoe, the loss leaves the side in fourth place, with their finals destiny in their own hands, two points clear of Rankins Springs as they take on last-placed Barellan in the final round.

Former NRL star Joel Thompson said that despite his side’s loss on Saturday he believes that the competition is “great for the community” in both Ivanhoe and the entire district. 

“It was a day out there that could have gone either way, we probably hurt ourselves at the time, but that’s just rugby league,” he said.

“It’s really good for the town to come together, and it’s good to play with some of the younger guys.

“It’s good to see the crowd like this and what this is doing for country football.”

Next week the Lizards take on Goolgowi in the Match of the Round at Goolgowi Sports Ground, whilst Ivanhoe face Barellan.

Walker’s boot finally gives Springs reason to cheer

The booming boot of halfback Damian Walker has propelled Rankins Springs to their first win of the season by virtue of a 21-20 nailbiter against a gallant Barellan side.

After the side almost forfeited due to the passing of one of their own, Dane Richards, last weekend, the club decided to play at the wish of his family, retiring his number 16 jersey and holding one minute and eighteen seconds of silence prior to kickoff.

Members of each club’s teams and supporter bases stood in unison, as the entire competition paused to reflect on a tragedy that made the game about to be played feel insignificant in comparison.

Goolgowi’s Henry and Ollie Taylor and Hillston President Ben Pittman traded in their club colours for the Red V to pay tribute to Richards, with the former two carrying their late mate’s jersey onto the field, whist wearing 3 and 6, the numbers of Richards’ brothers, Josh and Sam.

Once the sides took to the field, Barellan raced out to a 12-0 lead, with the Rams looking far stronger early on.

However, the Dragons hit back, with Codey Parsons reducing the deficit to 12-6 midway through the first half, with Walker landing a mammoth touchline conversion.

However, the Rams would run in one more try before half-time to go into the break 16-6 up and well in control of the match.

The second half was the complete opposite to the first, with a spirited Rankins Springs side fighting back to level the game at 16-all through two quick tries to Codey Parsons and Henry Taylor.

As the injuries began to pile up for the Dragons, Barellan regained the ascendancy and quickly opened up a four point lead to put themselves in the box seat heading in the final quarter of the game.

But the Dragons relentless will to win saw the side draw level at 20 apiece with four minutes to go through a try to Goolgowi loan player Henry Taylor, before Walker stepped up to seal the victory for the Rankins Springs side.

The win now elevates Rankins Springs above Barellan and off the bottom of the table with one round to play, with the side remarkably still a mathematical chance for finals football in 2023.

Rankins Springs President Brent Parsons said that the win felt “better than winning a Grand Final” in the context of the match’s circumstances and the deficit faced by the team.

“It’s better than winning two Grand Finals in a row,” he said.

“It really meant a lot to the club, as you could see, it’s a pretty good feeling.

“It just goes to show, not only Rankins Springs people were cheering for us, I think even Barellan people were cheering for us.

“We were behind 12-0, and then we clawed our way back into it.

“Somehow we just kept finding another gear.”

Parsons also shed some light on how close the club came to not playing in the wake of the week’s tragic events.

“We were probably 50-50, it’s not that we didn’t want to play, just that some guys weren’t up to it,” he said.

“And then we had footy training on Thursday, and we got together as a club, the boys and the girls, and everyone just wanted to go out there and play.

“I did say to Barellan if we walk off at half time, it’s not their fault, it’s just how we were feeling at the time.

“But once you cross that line, you want to do your club proud and you want to do the Richards family proud, and to see them sitting over there in the car, they sat there and watched us the whole game, it was very emotional.”

The Dragons President also thanked Henry and Ollie Taylor for playing for the side in honour of Richards. 

“It was also good to see the two Taylor boys help us out,” he said.

“There were plenty of tears before and after the game.”

Parsons also spoke of the importance of the half-time huddle, with the camaraderie within the group helping to lift the side to the level they reached in the second half.

“Obviously we were behind, which was not a good feeling,” he said.

“You’ve gotta realise what you’re playing for and who you’re playing for.

“It was something about that half-time huddle, everyone lifted another 10 percent.

“When Damo [Walker] kicked that field goal, straight through the posts, you won’t get a better feeling than that.”

One final comment Parsons made was on the way their opponents handled the week and allowed Rankins Springs to do what was best for the wellbeing of their community.

“I’ve got the utmost respect for Barellan,” he said.

“They’ve been nothing but great to us all week.

“They were happy if we did play or we didn’t play.

“You can’t fault anything [with them], they’re a good bunch of boys.

“You see what happens as a footy family, some things are bigger than football, and two points is two points.

“Everyone’s a family and everyone gets around each other.”

The Hillston v Goolgowi game was cancelled due to an ankle injury in the final women’s game of the day, and an almost two hour wait for an ambulance. 

Both sides agreed to split the points.

Women’s Nines

In the Women’s Nines competition the Barellan Rams continued their complete domination of the field with a barnstorming 38-0 shutout of Rankins Springs.

The scoreline was in no way a reflection of the efforts of the Springs side, rather, it was a mirroring of the skill level of the Barellan side, who appear to be unbeatable at this stage of the season.

The hometown Lizards may have won the Men’s clash with Ivanhoe, but in the Women’s clash it was the visitors who took home the two points with a hard-fought 14-8 victory.

The four-point swing on the competition table sees Ivanhoe now holding an unassailable 4 point lead over the Lizards for second place and the all-important second bite at the cherry in the Finals.

In the first game, Goolgowi beat Hillston 26-8 to draw level with their opponents for equal fourth place with a week to play.

Full Men’s Proten Community Cup Results 2023

Round 1 (Barellan)

Rankins Springs 6-18 Narrandera

Goolgowi 12-18 Ivanhoe

Barellan 16-22 Hillston

Round 2 (Ivanhoe)

Goolgowi 32-22 Barellan

Narrandera 40-8 Hillston

Ivanhoe 30-12 Rankins Springs

Round 3 (Rankins Springs)

Barellan 16-34 Narrandera

Hillston 24-22 Ivanhoe

Rankins Springs 6-28 Goolgowi

Round 4 (Hillston)

Goolgowi 36-4 Ivanhoe

Rankins Springs 4-50 Narrandera

Hillston 28-22 Barellan

Round 5 (Narrandera)

Hillston v Goolgowi cancelled (draw)

Rankins Springs 21-20 Barellan

Narrandera 24-18 Ivanhoe

Standings: Narrandera 10pts, Goolgowi 7, Hillston 7, Ivanhoe 4, Rankins Springs 2, Barellan 0.

Full Women’s Proten Community Cup Results 2023

Round 1 (Barellan)

Rankins Springs 0-20 Narrandera

Goolgowi 18-20 Ivanhoe

Barellan 42-0 Hillston

Round 2 (Ivanhoe)

Goolgowi 0-40 Barellan

Narrandera 4-20 Hillston

Ivanhoe 48-4 Rankins Springs

Round 3 (Rankins Springs)

Barellan 26-0 Narrandera

Hillston 20-16 Ivanhoe

Rankins Springs 14-22 Goolgowi

Round 4 (Hillston) 

Goolgowi 8-32 Ivanhoe

Rankins Springs 12-18 Narrandera

Hillston 4-36 Barellan

Round 5 (Narrandera)

Goolgowi 26-8 Hillston

Barellan 38-0 Rankins Springs

Ivanhoe 14-8 Narrandera

Standings: Barellan 10pts, Ivanhoe 8, Narrandera 4, Goolgowi 4, Hillston 4, Rankins Springs 0.

Cover Photo: Lizards players, led by team hype man Malek Afuamua-Lyons, pose for a photo with some locals following the side’s win at home on Saturday.