By Bryson Luff

The highly anticipated rematch of the 2020 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League League Tag grand final between the Dunedoo Swannettes and the Baradine Magpies saw the black and whites extract some degree of revenge for their 26 to 22 loss last year.

With both teams going in to last Saturday’s game at Baradine undefeated and locked together at the top of the table on 16 competition points apiece, the match created a huge amount of interest amongst the supporters from each club, with the big bonus for the winning team being the outright lead on the competition ladder at the half way point through the season.

It was to be the Baradine side who now sit in that position following their 26 to 18 victory, scoring five tries to three in the process.

The Dunedoo club did not leave Baradine empty handed however with their first grade side fending off a sturdy challenge from the home team, taking the match 28 to 14, the win meaning that the reigning premiers have yet to taste defeat in season 2021.

At Gilgandra it was to be a Shian Chatfield field goal that got the Pink Panthers home in the League Tag fixture against the Coonamble Bears, the home side holding on for an exciting 21 to 20 victory.

The Gilgandra Pink Panthers had a nail-biting victory against the Coonamble Bears over the weekend. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHEN BASHAM.

The hosts also claimed the competition points in the first grade encounter, but it was no walk in the park, with the youthful Bears outfit putting in a great second half performance after trooping from the field at half time down 24 to nil.

In fact the never say die Bears won the final forty minutes 18 points to 10, the final score being 34 to 18, and whilst the red and blacks lost no supporters with their display in the second stanza the damage done on the scoreboard in the first half was too much for them to reel in.

The Panthers full back, DJ Smith scored three of his sides tries, with half back Luke Ritchie grabbing a double in the win, whilst for the Bears Neville Nixon scored two of his teams three tries and fullback Jake Fernando handed in a strong performance in a team that will most certainly test their opposition in the second half of the competition.

The remaining first grade match saw the Gulgong Terriers proving to be too strong for the Trangie Magpies at Trangie, taking the game 44 points to 10, with their lock Brad James scoring three tries and notching six goals for a person tall of 24 points for the game.

There will be a general bye this coming long weekend before round 10 is played out on Saturday June 19 with the feature match in that round being the Boronia Cup Challenge match played at Coonabarabran between the Unicorns and the Dunedoo Swans.