It had been a while coming but the Coonamble Bears scored their first win in the 2020 Castlereagh League season when stunning the previously undefeated Gilgandra Panthers.
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Playing at Coonamble, the Bears arguably fielded their strongest side this season for the match against their traditional rivals and they certainly did not let their vocal supporters down with their 24-16 win.
It was just 4-all at half-time after the Panthers had failed to take advantage of a strong breeze at their backs.
They were constantly turned back by the Bears' rock solid defence, except on the one occasion when Panthers lock Jordan Reynolds was able to dive over from dummyhalf after throwing a dummy.
The Reynolds try came in the 38th minute after the Bears were first on the board just three minutes earlier courtesy of a four pointer to their hard running second-rower Troy Evans.
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The second half again saw the Bears called upon to defend their line grimly on numerous occasions, their task made somewhat easier by the Panther's persistence in playing the game up the middle, as they largely ignored their strike players out wide.
A penalty goal and another converted try to Evans saw the Bear extend their lead to 12-4 before another dummyhalf try to the Panthers, this time by Jamie Towney, had the Panthers back in the game at 12-10.
Midway through the half the Bears' half Matty Sheather joined the scoresheet to extend the hosts' lead before his Panthers opposite, Luke Ritchie, spotted a rare gap in the Bears defensive line five minutes later to race over from close range and with the conversion successful the scores were again locked up at 16-all.
This was to be the case until five mutes before full time when a towering Bear's bomb was put down which subsequently lead to Jamyn Cleary scoring out wide, the sideline conversion being landed by Cody Tickle who then potted a penalty goal some three minutes later to seal the win for the Bears.
It was indeed on the back of their defensive effort that the Bears claimed the two competition points, whilst the Panthers might well be ruing their rather unimaginative tactics in attack, the loss costing them first place on the competition ladder.
That position is now held by the Cobar Roosters who scored a 42-12 win over the Bombshells in Binnaway.
The top of the table League tag clash between the Dunedoo Swannettes and the Baradine Magpiettes played at Dunedoo proved to be a one-sided affair with Baradine, the 2018 and 2019 premiers, signalling they are well and truly aiming for a three-peat as they made short shift of the previously undefeated Swannettes, taking the game 28-0.
The first grade loss to the Bears by the Gilgandra Panthers has thrown the minor premiership race wide open with three teams - Gilgandra, Cobar and Dunedoo - now all in the running for that honour and to make it even more intriguing is the run to the semi finals that those three clubs have over the remaining two rounds.
The Panthers have two competition points guaranteed as they have the bye in the last round and they will be wanting to down Dunedoo on Saturday and hope other results go their way.
Cobar host Coonamble this Saturday before they playing at Dunedoo in the final round.