Cover Photo Credit: Stephen Basham

By Bryson Luff

With the halfway mark of the 2024 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League season very much on the horizon, the Coolah ‘Roos have continued their highly productive comeback to the Castlereagh fold and remain undefeated after they proved to be far too good for the Baradine Magpies in their game played at Baradine last Saturday.

After showing so much promise earlier in the year the home side really had no answer for the Coolah team that ran in nine tries on their way to a 50 to nil win that means they once again sit alone at the top of the competition ladder.

The Coolah Flyers, the ‘Roos league tag team, also returned to the winners list with a hard fought 24 to 18 win over the Magpies to maintain their upwardly position on the competition table.

At Narromine the Jets ran out comfortable victors over the Coonamble Bears, 56 to 12 whilst at Gilgandra the home side appeared to have the game against the Coonabarabran Unicorns sewn up when they lead 24 to 10 with just 15 minutes remaining, but those final 15 minutes belonged to the visitors who piled on better than a point a minute to win what ended up being an exciting affair 26 to 24!

There will be a general bye next weekend before round 7 will be played on the 15^th June when the match of the round will see Coolah defending the Boronia Cup against Narromine.

Other important games will be played at Coonamble, when the Bears host the Gilgandra Panthers, with both sides desperate for a win to try and stay in the battle for a top five position, whilst Coonabarabran and Gulgong will do battle at Coonabarabran where a loss by the visiting side could well make their fifth spot on the competition ladder vulnerable.

Christie and Hood Castlereagh League round 6 scores.

Youth League.

Gulgong 36 (Ed Gooley, Jackson Pascoe, Caiden Horton, Xavier Yeo, Jay O’Brien, Callan Martin tries, Horton 5, Martin goals) defeated Binnaway 14 (Sonny-Bill Walker 2, Lincoln Goard tries, Walker goal).

Narromine 60 defeated Molong 0.

Competition table;

Gulgong 12 (played 4, won 4), Cobar 10 (Played 4, won 3 lost 1), Narromine 8 (played 4, won 2), Binnaway 6 (Played 4, won 1).

League Tag

Gulgong 32 (Matilda Harper 2, Chloe Patrick 2, Imogen Hollow, Montana Lucas tries, Lolley Tumpey 4 goals) defeated Binnaway 4 (Claire Jones try).

Dunedoo 14 (Shelley Cox 2, Brianna Smith tries, Jorja Price goal) defeated Cobar 6 (Bridgette Negfeldt try, Brianna Watson goal).

Narromine 36 (Shian Chatfield 2, Codie Stirling 2, Lucy Dawson, Millah Phillips, Lily Spackman tries, Spackman 3, Chatfield goals) defeated Coonamble 0.        

Coolah 24 (Brooklyn Blackadder 2, Jessica Sterback, Fiona Whitbourne Martin tries, Jasmine Thompson 4 goals) defeated Baradine 18 (Claudia Eastburn 2, Jalika Leslie, Abby Thompson tries, Ada Craig goal).

Gilgandra 58 (Mab Fuller 3, Rani Diggs 3, Harmonie Morris, Skye Doherty, Sam Brennan, Kiara Brown, Jamie Sutherland tries, Laura Jordan 5, Trista Raines, Kylie Wood goals) defeated Coonabarabran 0.

Competition ladder.

Narromine 18, Dunedoo 16, Coolah 16, Baradine 12, Gulgong 14, Coonamble 12, Cobar 10, Gilgandra 10, Binnaway 6, Coonabarabran 6.

First Grade

Coolah 50 (Jake Burgess 2, Chanse Burgess 2, Gerry Sheridan, Tyler Lennox, Justin Mogg, Hamish Kitchen, Brett Staniforth tries, Dan Lane 7 goals) defeated Baradine 0.

Narromine 56 (Washington Itoya 2, Ryan Richardson 2, Mick Burns 2, Epeli Draundali, Doug Potter, Tyler Beer, Zahn Chislholm tries, Potter 7 goals) defeated Coonamble 12 (Nathan Walker, Brendan Draper tries, Mitch Nalder 2 goals).

Coonabarabran 26 (Dyllon Tighe 2, Brad Fuller, Steven Watton, Nick Willoughby tries, Fuller 3 goals) defeated Gilgandra 24 (Wade Peachey 2, Michael Louie, Isaac Frost tries, Ty Sutherland 4 goals).

Competition Ladder

Coolah 18, Cobar 16, Coonabarabran 14, Narromine 14, Gulgong 12, Gilgandra 10, Baradine 8, Coonamble 8.

Next weekend there will be a general bye.

Round 7 games to be played on 15^th June;

Dunedoo V Baradine (League Tag).

Binnaway V Cobar (League Tag and Youth League).

Coolah V Narromine.

Coonamble V Gilgandra.

Coonabarabran V Gulgong.