It was a celebration of Rugby League at Tumut’s Twickenham Oval on Saturday as the Blues hosted the Gundagai Tigers in a mammoth day of Group 9 Senior and Junior contests.
With 28 games played on the day, the juniors kicked everything off at 9am, and by 11am, a good crowd had converged around the main field as the All Abilities game pitted mate against mate.
There were bragging rights up for grabs as a new-look Blues, led by the enigmatic Tony Webb, hosted a Tigers team full of competition stalwarts, including Mitch Goodsall and Dallas Starr.
In a testament to the quality of the game and the characters involved, the contest stole the show, as the two sides went try-for-try.
A vocal crowd cheered in delight as players crossed for entertaining tries, and a big roar went out across the ground as the home side landed a decisive blow late in the game to score a remarkable 28-24 win.
As the game concluded and everyone shook hands, the result wasn’t the talking point, with the real winners being the players that came from the field, grinning from ear to ear.
Goodsall – a founding member of Gundagai’s All Abilities side – explained what the game meant to him and his teammates.
“For me, it means everything to play in these games,” he said.
“I get to have some fun with my mates, and it’s a great game of footy.”
There wouldn’t be a more loyal fan of the Tigers than Goodsall, and you’ll always find him at home and away games, dressed up in full Gundagai kit while cheering his side on, win, lose, or draw.
For Goodsall to take the field a few times a year in these All Abilities contests, the moment gives clubs a chance to repay the support and cheer on one of their most loyal supporters.
“We all love our footy, and we might not be able to play each week, but this is our opportunity to have a game,” Goodsall said.
“It really means a lot to me and everyone involved, and playing in front of a crowd like today (Saturday) was great, and I have to thank everyone for making it happen.”
Another stalwart of Group 9’s All Abilities Rugby League games is Tony Webb, who was ‘returning from injury’ as he guided the Blues to a historic win.
“After missing the last game, I was ready to get out there, and it was finger-licking good,” Webb said.
“I know one thing, we sure put our best foot forward out there today and did a good job.
“We got over the line, and like I always say, ‘We’re the Tumut Blues, and we're not going to lose.’
While the All Abilities game stole the show on Saturday, it was a ground breaking day for both the Blues and Tigers, with Tumut hosting their first-ever girl’s tackle contest.
Tumut’s Under 13s took on Gundagai, and while the Blues won 66-nil, it was a great starting point for both clubs, with women’s tackle set to become a more significant part of the Group 9 Junior and Senior Rugby League competitions.
Blues tame Tigers in first grade
When the first grade fixture kicked off at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon, a crowd of well over 1000 watched as the Tumut Blues put the Gundagai Tigers to the sword, winning 50-26 in their Round 13 contest.
It was another Lachlan Bristow masterclass as the reigning Weissel Medallist scored a hat-trick of tries and potted seven conversions in a 26-point haul and Man-of-the-Match effort.
Tumut flew out of the blocks to lead 30-6 after just 24 minutes of play.
Gundagai hit back to make it 30-14 at the break, but Tumut’s class shone through in the end as the top-of-the-table Blues reaffirmed that status as competition favourites with a dominant 24-point victory.
In other Round 13 first grade contests, South City Bulls landed a surprise 30-22 win over Albury at Greenfield Park, and Temora relegated Young out of the top three, with the Dragons defeating the Cherrypickers 34-12 at Nixon Park.
Click here for all Group 9 competition results and ladders
