Brewarrina have claimed a thrilling win and in doing so broke a drought stretching back to 2017 to claim the men’s Barwon Darling Rugby League Premiership in Walgett last weekend.
The Golden Googars (pictured above) held off a fast finishing Bourke Warriors side to claim the 18-14 win, going on with the job after leading 10-2 at half-time.
It continues the Warriors’ unlucky grand final streak that now extends to three years having lost the two previous deciders against Goodooga.
The Bourke side were close to glory having had a try disallowed in the final five minutes of the game in front of a boisterous crowd.
Earlier in the day Lightning Ridge showed themselves to be the queens of League Tag, bagging dual crowns in the Women’s and Under 15s finals against the home side Walgett and the Brewarrina teams respectively.
A bumper day of footy was capped off perfectly by the main event, which had all spectators on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
Among them was Golden Googars president Sharon Fox who understandably couldn’t be more proud of her club’s efforts to win the A grade crown – something that nobody would have predicted six weeks into the season.
“I’m just so proud … I ran onto the field crying as soon as the game was finished,” she said of the result.
“It was incredibly tense, the crowd went very quiet at one point before that final whistle was blown especially around the time we were waiting to see what happened with that disallowed try.
“They [Bourke] had that opportunity and chance and they had a few more touches of the ball after that but we managed to keep them out and hold on and that was enough to get the win. It was just awesome.”
The game was everything a grand final should be, with neither side getting away from the other with defence featuring prominently throughout.
The Warriors led early thank s to a Shimon Dennis penalty goal but two tries to Brewarrina put them ahead 10-2 at the break.
The Warriors hit back in the second half through tries to Clifton Cubby and Joel Bates, but were reduced to 12 men when playmaker Cubby was sent from the field.
To their credit they hung on to force the game into the thrilling final minutes. Brendan Coffey crossed for two tries, Kyle Greene and Adrian Scott one each.
“It’s hard to pick a standout everyone played awesome, to be honest Bourke were awesome too and there was so little between the sides,” Fox said.
“This does so much for the community, a little place like Bre. They’re overwhelmed with it, I work in the local supermarket and you get people coming in saying ‘up the Googars!’ and it obviously means so much to people in little towns out this way - that’s what Rugby League does.”
Understandably disappointed to lose the decider, Bourke president George Orcher was gracious in defeat.
“I’m gutted,” he told the Western Plains App.
“But we’ll get over it. Brewarrina played enormous. We were slow but we worked into it. They dominated with their forward pack.”
Earlier the Lightning Ridge Redbacks women made it consecutive undefeated campaigns and reaffirmed their status as the powerhouse of League Tag winning 50-0.
Prior to the contest, Ridge president Dyane McHughes said that the likes of Tilah Ciprian, Jaida Seaton, Kristina Pico and Harriett Messner were the keys to victory over one of the few teams to upset them in the last four years.
Ciprian and Pico scored three tries each, Messner and Seaton one each, Hayley, Webb and Mattie Seaton the other two. Ciprian kicked five goals.
“We were on top throughout the game and the good thing is it allowed the girls just to enjoy the game and not worry too much about the pressure of the occasion,” McHughes said.
“Those four girls were exceptional again, Jada with her kick returns was very good at fullback again.”
The senior women were clinical, but the Under 15s were also dominant winning 60-0 and showing that the next generation might be every bit as good as the current one.
Nawalah Campbell scored an incredible six tries while Teniqua Wallace scored four – Amelia Boney the other – in an amazing attacking display.
