The Dubbo Waratahs have taken the ascendancy with a 24-20 golden oldies win over the Brewarrina Googars at the annual Dubbo Waratahs Rugby League Knockout at Dubbo’s Apex Oval on Saturday.
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The win also gave Dubbo the upper hand in the ‘battle of the oldies’, taking a 2-1 lead over the Googars in the contest’s third year.
The game may have lacked the speed and aggression on display elsewhere at the knockout, but it made up for it in stage-worthy performances – particularly from former NRL player Damien Kennedy – and lots of laughs.
“You had footballers like David Peachey out there and Damien Kennedy … Damien refereed all day here and he just wanted to play some football,” Dubbo Waratahs president Thomas Toomey said, emphasising the men’s health focus of the game.
“We’re all over 40, trying to get young fellas to play rugby league.
“We have fun. All we do is have fun. We had a couple of referees that refereed all day as well, and everyone has just come off the field laughing and giggling and the crowd was loving it!
“It’s a gee-up before the finals.”
The Googars struck first to take a 4-0 lead before David Peachey proved he’s still got it, busting through Waratahs line.
He ran 40 metres – technically untouched – to plant the ball beneath the black dot, his only barrier to scoring an enthusiastic Willy Barnes.
The referee attempted a ‘tackle’ on the former Cronulla Sharks fullback but Peachey was able to ground the ball unimpeded.
Nathan Cubby helped get the hosts back in it and by half time the scores were locked up at 12-all.
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It was a tight, yet relatively slow, tussle with the sides going one-for-one before the Dubbo Waratahs were able to pull away.
On a more serious note, Toomey was thankful to Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service for their support of the day, and work promoting men’s health.
He was also grateful to the Dubbo Regional Council for “allowing us to have this beautiful oval every year” and to the dozen other sponsors for supporting the knockout.
”It’s been an awesome day,” Toomey said.
“The standard here has just been all over the park – it’s just a warm-up for next week and the families and the communities come out for these small ones and they really get behind their team.
“Next week I’d encourage everybody, if they didn’t get up here this weekend to watch the football, come up next weekend and support the Newcastle Yowies that brought [the 2018 NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout] to Dubbo!”
Ualarai Sand Goannas player and First Nations Goanna Gregory Davis had great praise for the event, saying he looked forward to it in the lead-up to the NSW Knockout every year.
“Hopefully we can get more numbers for next year, because more teams brings more supporters which helps the local communities!” he said.
