Narromine made the short trip down the Newell Highway to take on the Parkes Boars in what was Blowes Cup rivalry round. The two teams have shared some epic battles in recent years; the 2011 grand final comes to mind when Parkes were able to snatch victory at Cale Oval in the second period of extra time, and even as recently as last season when the Gorillas converted a try after the siren to take the spoils down in Parkes.
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This year lived up to that tradition of close results with the Boars running out victors 15-7 in a game that could've gone either way.
The Gorillas, decimated by injuries and work commitments due to sowing time, were unable to field full colts and second grade sides. In the spirit of all things rugby, Parkes agreed to 10-a-side matches to ensure everyone got a game, but the results book will show forfeits to Parkes in both grades.
There was nothing 10-a-side about the first grade fixture however with 30 players taking the field and ripping in from the outset. Braydon McManus was leading the charge with some hard running in the early exchanges, and was met by an enthusiastic Boars defence who had been buoyed by their victory over Bathurst Bulldogs the previous week. The return of Luke Brown had the Parkes inside backs a little jumpy and with good reason, as Brown rattled more than a few rib cages throughout the match.
Parkes were first to score when their rangey number eight was able to spear through the Gorillas' defence and dot down next to the sticks, score 7-0.
From there, Narromine went about trying to implement their game plan of continuity and building phases, which they did beautifully but the Boars defence was holding strong. The Gorillas needed a spark to get in behind the defensive line, enter the prop-come-winger Charlie Tuck who called for the ball in a short-side play and with a startling turn of foot he was around the winger in a flash showing him a clean pair of heels and the backside of his size 44 shorts. Tuck was now one-on-one with the fullback (every prop's dream) and produced a deft chip kick and regather to score one of the best tries of the season. Henry Buttsworth slotted the sideline conversion and the scores were locked at 7-7.
The second half saw the intensity drop a little from both teams, and errors began to creep into the game.
Bill Rybak once again tackled himself to a standstill and Craig Campbell was a handful every time he ran the ball.
The evergreen Ryan Pratten was everywhere, playing like a third flanker, and the second row pairing of Matt Wake and Daniel Treseder were getting their hands dirty in close.
Parkes took advantage of some ill-discipline with a penalty shot and broke the deadlock and go ahead 10-7. This was quickly followed by an unconverted try and the Gorillas were down 15-7 and needed to score twice. Buttsworth was unable to take a late penalty opportunity to secure the bonus point, final score 15-7.
It was disappointing to lose another tight match, but there were plenty of positive signs for the Gorillas. If they keep fronting up and putting themselves in winning positions the results will start to come their way.
Best and fairest points: 3 Charlie Tuck, 2 Craig Campbell, 1 Bill Rybak.
The Gorillas return home this weekend to take on CSU Bathurst in a game that is crucial for both teams.
