By Tallon Smith

The Griffith Waratah Tigers have reached a major milestone on their return to Group 20, recording their first win 37-16 against Darlington Point-Coleambally in an Anzac Round showdown under lights at the Exies Oval.

The match also doubled as the final edition of the Jack Carroll Memorial Cup, which is contested in memory of former DPC and Waratahs junior who passed away in a tragic accident more than a decade ago.

Griffith Waratah Tigers President Robert Nascimben said that just playing a home game on the Exies Oval for the first time in 19 months in front of their supporters was an amazing feeling, with the win coming as a bonus.

“The feeling was unreal,” he said.

“The win was great, and it was tremendous, but I think the most important thing that we brought back to the Exies Oval, and plus it was the Anzac Round, and being [affiliated with] the Exies, that’s quite good.

“It’s great to be part of the Anzac Round, we’ve got to remember the people that fought for our country and sacrificed their lives, so it was a big day and plus we won so it was great.”

In terms of the contest, Nascimben said it was a great game, with both sides not giving an inch in the opening part of the contest.

“Darlington Point are quite a large side, big forwards, a large physical side, so it started up quite quickly, [with line breaks through] the forwards up through the middle of each side,” he said.

“In time, just I think, you know, it was try for try, but then the Waratahs started to stretch the lead and in the second half we were able to kick a field goal [while] it was pretty close.

“From there on we just put the pedal to the metal and they ended up winning considerably, so it was great.”

Nascimben was full of praise for his side’s opponents, saying it was a great game for the big crowd which gathered to watch the clash.

“Credit to the Point they tried their hardest, they had a couple of injuries,” he said.

“I think they had a front rower [injured] and he came off, I think he had an injured neck, and they lost a couple of other players.

“It was a great game to watch.”

As for the trophy they played for on the night, the Jack Carroll Memorial Cup (in memory of former Waratahs and DPC junior Jack Carroll, a cousin of this author), Nascimben said that it would be retired after a decade of being contested and the trophy given to Jack’s family.

“This was [the] last game of the Jack Carroll Memorial Cup,” he said.

“As his Mum and Dad [former DPC Premiership winner Graham] said, Jack’s retired now and it’s quite hard to do with all family members coming, so [that’s] sad but it was a great night.”

As for the support for the club, Nascimben said that there was a huge crowd on the hill that provided vocal support for both sides, ensuring a big gate, and a good canteen sales figure, the latter total of which was donated to local charity organisation Carevan Griffith.

“We [have no] 16s side, but they were able to have [our] 14s play DPC, so they started off the day at 1 o’clock [and] there were quite a few junior supporters [that] stayed on to support the Waratah seniors,” he said.

“There was a big crowd from Darlington Point and the Waratahs on the hill and also in the grandstand.

“It was a great day for football, First Grade kicked off about five o’clock, so it was ideal football weather.

“It was a great day, and like I said, you know, we got the win, that’s great, but more importantly, we’re back, and that was part of my goal, to get the [Waratahs] back, not just for 2024, but beyond.”

Around the grounds in other First Grade matches, West Wyalong recorded a narrow 16-14 win over Hay at the Hay Park Oval to stay inside the top four.

Captain and halfback Braiden Jones scored a try and kicked two from three goals for half his side’s points, while Ben Taylor kicked 1 from 3 for Hay, with a narrow miss on a difficult kick being the difference.

Meanwhile, in what was probably the match of the round, a much improved Tullibigeal-Lakes United side took a fight to Leeton, but ultimately fell short of the defending premiers 24-12.

The Greenies scored five tries to two at the Lake Cargelligo Recreation Oval, but an off day with the boot from Leeton Fullback Tyler O’Connell saw just two converted, leaving the margin at 12.

Finally, in the last match of the weekend, Yenda recorded a 60-0 win over the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks at the Yanco Sportsground.

The third mercy rule to nil in a row for the Yanco side is evidence that the competition is a lot stronger this year, and adds merit to the idea that some within the Hawks camp are proposing, which would see them drop down to Reserve Grade for the remainder of the season.

Speaking of Reserve Grade, DPC recorded a 32-10 win over the Waratah Tigers at the Exies Oval, while Hay defeated West Wyalong 18-10 for their second win of the year, and TLU beat Leeton 29-22 at Lake Cargelligo.

Ladies’ League Tag action saw DPC hold on for a nail-biting win over Waratahs, West Wyalong account for Hay 44-4, Leeton beat TLU 18-4, and Yenda record an identical result to First Grade with a 60-0 win over Yanco-Wamoon.

Finally, in the Ladies’ Tackle competition, the only game saw West Wyalong defeat Hay 22-6 at the Hay Park Oval.

The Griffith Black & Whites had the bye across all grades.

Next weekend sees some exciting games, with derbies between West Wyalong and Tullibigeal-Lakes United, the Black & Whites and Yenda, and a Saturday clash between Yanco-Wamoon and Leeton, with the Waratah Tigers travelling to Hay in the remaining fixture, while DPC have the bye.