Tallon Smith and Bryson Luff
The Temora Dragons may have relinquished their grip on the Group 9 Challenge Cup but they still took a valuable two competition points in their 24-22 win over the Young Cherrypickers at Nixon Park on Saturday.
The Pickers took a controversial points start of +2.5 into the clash, which ended up being enough to claim the cup, but not a crucial two competition points against Josh McCrone and Hayden Lomax’s men, crashing to their third defeat of the season and their second in succession.
A penalty to Jared McKinnon proved the difference in the end, after both sides kicked three from four conversions.
Centre Will McDermott crossed for two of the Dragons’ four tries on the day in a strong showing, while Jock Ward and Billy Reardon also nabbed crucial four-pointers for the Temora side.
Meanwhile, the Wagga Kangaroos remain the team to beat after a 50-0 demolition of Tumut at Twickenham on Saturday.
Zeik Foster and Ned Cooper each crossed for try doubles in the dominant win, which sees last season’s runners-up remain undefeated heading into the Grand Final rematch and Challenge Cup showdown with Young on the other side of the long weekend bye.
The Gundagai Tigers won the coaching swap grudge match with a 56-10 victory over the Wagga Brothers at Geohex Park.
Aaron Gorrell’s men continued their recent run of form with the 10 tries to two win over Blake Dunn’s outfit, although Brothers’ performance was an improvement on their 66-0 loss to Kangaroos in the Wagga Derby.
The Albury Thunder prevailed in a high-scoring affair with Junee at Greenfield Park, escaping with a 40-36 win.
The Reserve Grade match prior marked Thunder club legend Curtis Reid’s 200th for the club, with the popular utility back reaching the milestone after a tough run with injury in previous seasons.
Finally, the Cootamundra Bulldogs produced the upset of the weekend with a shock 24-4 home victory over the South City Bulls at Les Boyd Oval.
A Jack Caldwell double amongst five tries for the home side saw the Bulldogs cruise to a comfortable victory, which could have been even greater if not for some wayward goalkicking.
This coming weekend is a general bye for the long weekend, with the competition to resume on June 14-15 for a bumper weekend of fixtures, headlined by the aforementioned Grand Final rematch.
Castlereagh League
The red and white colours of both the Coolah Kangaroos first grade side and the Coolah Flyers league tag side sit atop their respective Christie and Hood Castlereagh League competition tables alone and undefeated as the 2025 season approaches the halfway mark.
The Kangaroos retained the competition lead and the Boronia Cup when they downed the Baradine Magpies 34 to 14 at Coolah last Saturday whilst the Flyers brushed aside a Baradine side that had been sitting equal second on the ladder going into the game, the final score being 32 to nil.
Whilst the ‘Roos have been accumulating competition points at a rapid rate it has been a more difficult task for the Warren Bulldogs first grade side in their comeback to the Castlereagh League competition after a lengthy hiatus but last Saturday they battled it out with the Coonamble Bears and came away with a 26 all draw much to the delight of their home crowd.
The Bulldog’s league tag side started what was to be the club’s most productive day to date on a good note, registering their third win of the season to move them into equal fifth spot on the competition ladder.
They share that position with the Cobar Roosterettes who went down 44 to 16 against the Dunedoo Swannettes at Cobar last Saturday but whilst the Swannettes claimed victory their First Grade side did not, losing a hard-fought battle to the Roosters 36 to 22.
The Roosters held a two point lead at half time, that being 18 to 16 but the Swans managed to get ahead after the resumption of play with a converted try, before the home side gradually edged ahead as the game progressed to claim what was an important win for them, one that sees them with a share of the third rung on the competition ladder.
Whilst beaten the Swans would have taken some positives out of the game, coming off what has been a couple of disastrous recent weeks for them and going into it without their captain coach Sam Coe who was injured.
The effort should ensure that they take a degree of renewed confidence into their round 7 game against the Coonabarabran Unicorns after the long weekend, a game that could have a big bearing on the final positioning of the two teams at the end of the competition rounds.
At Cale Oval the Narromine’s league tag side successfully defended the Jessica Skinner Challenge Cup against Gulgong, winning 40 points to 6, and whilst they were not so dominant on the scoreboard the Jet’s first grade side also secured a victory over the Bull Terriers, the score being 34 to 24.
Corey Cox, the Jets captain-coach and second rower crossing for four of his side’s six tries as well as slotting five goals to personally outscore the Gulgong total by two points in a very strong individual performance.
Statewide Scoreboard
Riverina & Monaro
Group 9
Albury 40 defeated Junee 36
Wagga Kangaroos 50 defeated Tumut 0
Gundagai 56 defeated Wagga Brothers 10
Temora 24 defeated Young 22
Cootamundra 24 defeated South City 4
Group 16
Merimbula-Pambula 46 defeated Batemans Bay 16
Tathra 42 defeated Bombala 14
Moruya 26 defeated Narooma 6
Cooma 14 defeated Bega 8
Group 17
Barellan 24 defeated Rankins Springs 6
Goolgowi 54 defeated Deniliquin 2
Ivanhoe 20 defeated Narrandera 10
Group 20
Leeton 28 defeated Yanco 24
Griffith Waratahs 30 defeated Hay 22
West Wyalong 30 defeated TLU Sharks 18
Yenda 30 defeated Griffith B&W 10
Canberra
Woden 14 defeated Queanbeyan Blues 10
Yass 28 defeated Belconnen 18
Tuggeranong 32 defeated Goulburn 4
Queanbeyan Roos 16 defeated West Belconnen 0
George Tooke Shield
Goulburn Murray
Tumbarumba 40 defeated Corowa 4
Shepparton 60 defeated Wodonga 8
Border Bears defeated Wolfpack by FORFEIT
Greater Western
Group 10/11 (PMP)
Mudgee 26 defeated Dubbo CYMS 12
Dubbo Macquarie 34 defeated Bathurst Panthers 30
Nyngan 18 defeated Orange Hawks 12
Forbes 44 defeated Bathurst St Pats 20
Lithgow Workies 26 defeated Wellington 18
Orange CYMS 36 defeated Parkes 26
Group 14 (Castlereagh League)
Coolah 34 defeated Baradine 14
Narromine 34 defeated Gulgong 24
Cobar 36 defeated Dunedoo 22
Warren 26 drew Coonamble 26
Woodbridge Cup
Oberon 42 defeated Trundle 0
Orange United 52 defeated Cargo 18
Peak Hill defeated Blayney by FORFEIT
Molong 54 defeated Grenfell 16
Condobolin 30 defeated Cowra 26
Canowindra 43 defeated Eugowra 22
Southern Corridor
Group 7
Milton-Ulladulla 40 defeated Berry 12
Albion Park 42 defeated Jamberoo 12
Shellharbour Sharks 32 defeated Nowra-Bomaderry 16
Stingrays 10 defeated Gerringong 6
Illawarra Division
Dapto 38 defeated Corrimal 10
Wests 14 defeated Collegians 10
De La Salle 22 defeated Thirroul 18
Northern Corridor
Central Coast Division
Scores unknown
Newcastle Division
Round washed out
The Entrance 24 defeated Northern Hawks 4
Kurri Kurri 18 defeated Cessnock 14
Lakes United 46 defeated Souths 12
Wests 24 defeated Centrals 18
Maitland 18 defeated Wyong 18
Greater Northern
Northern Rivers (Group 1/18)
Byron Bay 24 defeated Tweed Coast 14
Lower Clarence 24 defeated Northern United 16
Cudgen 18 defeated Tweed Heads 12
Other scores unavailable
Group 2
Nambucca Heads 16 defeated Coffs Harbour 8
South Grafton 14 defeated Macksville 4
Woolgoolga 22 defeated Sawtell 12
Group 3
No games – flood recovery
Group 4
Moree Boars 22 defeated North Tamworth 14
Boggabri 24 defeated Gunnedah 20
Dungowan 20 defeated Wee Waa 16
Werrsi Creek 42 defeated Kootingal 4
Group 19
Moree Boomerangs 40 defeated Narwan 18
Glen Innes 30 defeated Tingha 12
Uralla 28 drew Warialda 28
Inverell 42 defeated Guyra 28
Group 21
Muswellbrook 38 defeated Aberdeen 22
Singleton 26 defeated Denman 6
Greta-Branxton 34 defeated Scone 24
Battlers For Bush Footy 