By Bryson Luff

With five rounds remaining in the Christie and Hood Castlereagh League competition the first-grade top five is starting to take shape, with both Coonabarabran and Gulgong, who sit equal fourth on the ladder, enjoying a five-point buffer over sixth placed Gilgandra.

Whilst it is still possible for the Gilgandra Panthers to make the semis, their task became all that more difficult when they went down to the Cobar Roosters 22 to 14 in front of a big crowd at Gilgandra last Saturday.

Having tested the undefeated Coolah ‘Roos the previous week, the Panthers once again showed that they are a capable side when they made the second placed Roosters work hard for their win but let themselves down at crucial times in another game that slipped through their grasp, quite literally at times, with their poor handling relieving the pressure on the Cobar defence on a number of occasions.

That is not to say that the Roosters did not deserve to win, which they set up in the first half when they went to the sheds at half time as 16 to 4 leaders, that lead being extended to 22 to 4 just five minutes after the resumption of play.

From that point on all the scoring belonged to Gilgandra who started to make inroads when they spread the ball wide and it was only some desperate defence, combined with the Panther’s sloppy handling, that saw them claim the win which consolidates their second place on the

competition ladder.

Whilst they will still be in second position irrespective of the result of their clash with the third placed Narromine Jets at Narromine this Saturday, they can expect that the home side will be going all out to close the gap between the two sides on the competition ladder and a great game is expected.

A loss by the Jets has the potential to see them relegated to fifth place on the ladder should both Coonabarabran and Gulgong win their games against Coonamble and Baradine respectively, so it is an important game in more ways than one for the red and whites.

On the league tag scene, the Coolah Flyers moved to equal second place on the ladder when they downed the well performed Dunedoo Swannettes 24 to 8 at Coolah on Friday night signalling that they are well and truly in the mix for premiership honours.

The Binnaway Bombshells league tag side also scored a win, with their 28 to nil win over Coonabarabran being just one of three victories for the Bombies at The Crater last Saturday, their Youth League side downing the Gulgong Bull Terriers 28 to 10 whilst their reserve grade team got home 24 to 20 against Dunedoo to complete the trifecta.

The Castlereagh League reserve grade competition will continue in earnest this weekend with games being played at Dunedoo, Binnaway, Gulgong and Narromine.