RUGBY UNION
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Photos and Story by TONY WOOD
The Bogan Bulls kept their finals campaign alive last Saturday in a devastating victory over the Bourke Rams in the minor semi-final of the Western Plains Rugby competition. The Bourke Rams arrived spoiling for a fight having taken offence to last week’s article questioning the ability of their forwards.
Sadly for Bourke this analysis proved to be spot on as the Bulls romped in five tries in a row and had a few more disallowed as ‘held up’ over the try line. The match got underway with an extended ‘feeling out’ period.
The Bulls started out a bit sloppy with ball retention and were anxious about shutting down the Rams backs who have been a key factor in Bourke’s resurgence during the regular season.
The Rams got points on the board with a try from Darryl Cubby, but that was to be the first and only glimmer of hope in a very one-sided game.
Having stifled the Rams fullback whenever he touched the ball, the Bulls settled in for some aggressive forwards play.
A win at the lineout gave the Bulls their first points as a driving maul put Bill McKillop over the line for a try, converted by James Hackney to level the score at 7-7.
This first conversion from the sideline was the first in an amazing afternoon of kicking by Hackney who nailed three conversions and two penalty goals from some incredibly difficult positions around the park.
A penalty goal to the Bulls gave them a 10-7 lead going into half-time. Tensions were high as both teams were acutely aware this was a season-ending game for the loser.
The second half saw Bubba Perry explode through the line in the opening minutes to charge down the field, narrowly denied a try after being held up by a desperate Bourke defence.
The restart saw the dominant Bulls awarded another penalty, the kick nailed by Hackney for a 13-7 lead.
A second penalty soon after saw Hackney take a kick from the halfway line which was probably a little ambitious and ultimately unsuccessful, but the Bulls soon regained possession and got the ball to Dom Kennedy for one of his trademark runs carving up the opposition to score a try and a 20-7 lead. The Bulls were in the zone and the forwards were unstoppable.
Every scrum saw the Rams going backwards and every lineout was owned by the Bulls. A series of devastating line breaks by Mal Donald got the ball out to Declan Hoare whose raw speed was unbeatable as he crossed the line for a try extending the score to 25-7.
The Rams were badly shaken and soon starting swinging punches resulting in yellow cards for Jeremy Thurston (Bourke) and Tom Cleaver (Nyngan).
A scrum restart was again dominated by the Bulls and saw the ball sent to the backs.
James Hackney made a beautiful sprint down the field, handing off to Jackson Hedges to complete the try for a 30-7 lead. The Rams were demoralised as the final whistle blew but the Bulls weren’t finished.
With the ball still in play, Jackson Hedges made a chip-chase run covering the length of the field for a final try under the crossbar in the 81st minute, giving a final score of 37-7, ending Bourke’s season and securing a finals spot for the Bogan Bulls.
The Reserve Grade match against the Warren Pumas also saw a convincing win to the Bogan Bulls. The Nyngan boys started out crossing the tryline twice only to be held up and tries disallowed.
Rob Kennedy put first points on the board with a try, converted by the deadly accurate Toby Miles for a 7-0 lead.
Two penalty goals nailed by Toby increased the lead to 13-0. The Bulls charged down a Warren kick which was scooped up and carried across the line but disallowed, but making it clear this was a very one-sided game.
The Pumas managed to score a try before half-time taking the score to 13-5. The second half saw Warren post a try, soon answered by Joel Baker crossing the line then again by Mitch Butler for a final score of 34-12.
With both First Grade and Reserve Grade still in contention, the Bogan Bulls take a rest this weekend as the top two teams on the ladder clash to decide who goes straight to the grand final and who meets Nyngan to contest the remaining grand final berth.
It has always been said that it takes a team of champions to win a grand final.
The Bogan Bulls have a team of champions.
We’ve struggled in the latter half of the season due to injury and work commitments but last Saturday’s game saw everyone back on the roster and a complete demolition of the Bourke Rams - a team that has beaten both of the top two teams in the second half of the season.
The Bogan Bulls will play their next game on the road and will likely find it the toughest match of their season so far. Details of the match will be known following this weekend’s game and will be posted on the Bogan Bulls facebook page.
Look for more photos of last Saturday’s game on www.nynganobserver.com.au or Facebook and keep Saturday week free for a road trip to support the Bulls in their sudden-death finals campaign.