The Coonamble Bears retained not only the Boronia Challenge Cup but also the competition lead and their undefeated status when they proved too strong for the visiting Gulgong Terriers in the top of the table Bendigo Bank Castlereagh League clash on Saturday.
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A sizeable crowd enjoyed an entertaining match as the two big packs tried to gain ascendancy and at 14-10 at half time in favour of the home side it was anyone’s game
However, as the game wore on and the Gulgong forwards began to tire, Coonamble’s dynamic halves Jack Kelly and Jake Fernando started to find gaps in the defensive line and in the end they were highly instrumental in delivering what was a dominant win to the Bears.
Gulgong’s cause was not aided by having a player in the bin in the latter stages of the game, but in the end the Bears proved they are the team to beat in 2016 by running out emphatic 40-24 victors.
Elsewhere in round 13, the Warren Bulldogs kept their semi final aspirations alive with a win over a determined Coolah Kangaroos outfit. Midway through the second half the home side seemed well in control with the scoreboard reading 32-14 with their hooker Adam Kentwell proving to be a handful for the Coolah defence.
But the Kangaroos weren’t done with and they rattled up the next 14 points in the match and looked poised to steal the game, but a late Bulldogs try consigned them to a 38-28 defeat.
Roos’ prop Dennis Newton had a blinder, scoring two tries himself and proving a handful every time he touched the ball while Warren’s best were Kentwell, five-eighth Mark Kilpatrick and Anthony Fuller at fullback.
Warren’s win keeps them alive in the semi-final race but they remain fifth and three points adrift of the Coonabarabran Unicorns, who defeated the Dunedoo Swans 48-10.
The Unicorns will face a stern test next weekend when host Coonamble and the match between the two rivals is shaping as a great battle.
The remaining match of the round saw the Baradine Magpies taking on the Trangie Magpies and it was Baradine who took out the battle of the black and whites, winning 36-20 in another entertaining fixture.
The Bears-Unicorns clash will be the main feature next weekend while Baradine play the Warren Bulldogs in another match which could have a big influence on the race to the finals and the make up of the top five.
