The Bogan Bulls travelled to Gilgandra on Saturday to play the Gulargambone Galahs who hosted their annual Ladies Day event. 

The Bulls were confident after their win the previous weekend over the Brewarrina Brumbies and it soon became evident that the Bulls were back to their grand final winning form. 

In front of a large Ladies Day crowd the Bulls dominated the field from the kickoff. 

The opening minutes saw Will Thorncraft make a massive break down the paddock drawing numerous defenders then passing the ball to Mick Cobcroft to complete the attack for an early try and a 5-0 lead. 

Play restarted and Gular fought back, coming within inches of the try line only to see a pass beautifully intercepted by Declan Hoare who sprinted 90 metres for the second try of the match and a 10-0 lead.

Gular weren’t giving up on home turf and held the dominant Bulls off as best they could but Dom Kennedy rarely goes a match without putting points on the board. 

A penalty line-out saw the Bulls win back possession which opened up enough space for DK to lope across the chalk with an easily converted try taking the score to 17-0. Gular managed a try before the half-time whistle for 17-5 at the break, but the second half was all Bulls. 

Craig Ticehurst showed why he’s on the Waratahs radar as a rising rugby star - smashing through a try early in the second half. 

Declan Hoare made another 80-metre break, handing off to Craig Ticehurst then to Daniel Cooper to cross the line, confusing the opposition who thought that Cobby was in two places at once. 

Will Thorncraft got a yellow card for being too good looking while playing off his feet - the resultant penalty kick didn’t find touch and was returned by Dom Kennedy.

Thirty metres out Dom was surrounded by defenders so he kicked the ball for a scintillating chip-and-chase by Brett Moody who beat multiple defenders to ground the ball over the line, scoring the last try and sealing the game with a 34-5 victory. 

The players’ player voting resulted in Brett Moody awarded three points, two to Harry Holmes, and Jack Kennedy earned one.

The reserve grade match was more of the same. Skimmer George turned up to watch but had to stand back from the fence a little so as not to overly disadvantage the home team. 

Dougie Holmes repeatedly outsmarted the opposition by calling “Dougie” at every line-out and made huge gains up the five metre channel while hooker Tom Elder worked hard to make up the two metre head-start he gave Dougie from the throw in. 

Mitch Harley, Mitch Butler, and Mitch Hedges romped in tries. Having run out of Mitches - Jake Newman and Joel Baker got two more, while Toby Mile drew on the power of the mo to add a further six conversion points for a 31-10 victory. 

Cameron Knight made some excellent runs and displayed ball-retention skills at the breakdown.

.  Joe Swift was his consistently classy self, and Scott Brown backed up after using first grade as a light warm-up. 

Player points saw three points go to Merrion Jones, two to Mitch Butler, and one to Oliver Hoare. Marisa Knight, Nicole Donnelly, and Debb Wood completed Nyngan’s domination of the Ladies Day event by being far and away the most stylish sideline supporters.

The Bogan Bulls currently sit third on the Western Plains ladder behind Walgett and Warren, but wins in the next few weeks could easily see them move into second place. With the Duck Creek Picnic Races on Saturday the Bulls head to Cobar on Friday night for a game under lights. The Cobar Camels always get a large crowd to their night games with the team rising to the challenge. The Bulls will be in for a tough match as they jockey for position on the ladder.

The next home game for the Bulls is the following Saturday, July 4 at Larkin Oval when the Bulls take on the Warren Pumas in a rematch of last year’s nail-biting grand final. 

The club is hosting Ladies Day which is always one of the premiere events on the Nyngan social calendar. 

The catering is superb and entertainment is renowned musician Isaac Compton. 

The season is ramping up both on and off the field as the Bogan Bulls head into the back half of the season. 

Look for the Bogan Bulls on Facebook for more photos of Saturday’s game and see you in Cobar this Friday night.