The Cobar Camels are down and out for 2009 season
Wednesday September 9, 2009
Bryce Rixon tries to push his way to the try line but is held up by four of his Walgett Rams opposition in Saturday’s Western Plains final at Bourke. ▪ Photo contributed
The 2009 season ended in Bourke on Saturday for the Cobar Rugby Union Club when their Reserve Grade was beaten 15-7 in the sudden death final by Walgett Rams in the Western Plains Rugby competition.
There were nevertheless a few highlights in an otherwise afternoon of disappointments.
One such highlight was a rousing 80 minute performance in attack, defence and the line-out by number eight Lachie Sullivan who at one point even put himself at loose-head prop to abort the referee’s proposal to de-contest the scrums.
And then there were hooker Al Ewan’s four crucial scrum wins against the feed; the huge-hearted effort by fullback Justin Schick to continually put the Cobar Camels on the attack and the workmanlike discharge of blind side flanker duties of Tull Mitchell whose only let up was a quick trip to the blood bin.
The game though was soured by serious injury to outstanding open side flanker Sam Baker and two concurrent sin-binnings.
The final started at a furious pace with Cobar’s big men Lindsay Turner and Bryce Rixon, tearing into the Walgett defence, setting the platform for half-back Matt Low, Schick, Sullivan and winger Travis Schintler to make good yardage.
An ensuing line-out win to the Camels and quick ball to Chris Gilbert allowed the five-eighth to cut incisively through the Rams’ defence and touch down 20 metres further on under the posts.
Schick converted and Cobar had the early lead 7-0 and the momentum.
Tragically at this point Baker went down with a serious ankle injury and Cobar’s fortunes deteriorated from there.
The Camels’ initial roll was haltered by the delay in the provision of ambulance services for the Cobar star; then penalty after penalty kept the Rams in the game, negated Cobar’s sharp attack and permitted Walgett to claw back three valuable points from a penalty goal.
For a Cobar Roosters rugby league player, Gilbert was making a pretty good fist of rugby pivot play as he stripped the ball from an attacking Ram, banged a couple of huge touch finders, varied play and challenged the Walgett defence with a series of deft little kicks over the top and set his centres, Steve Gillette and Chris Barnett, onto their opposites at full pace.
Early in the second half, Turner was dispatched to the sin-bin for a high shot which enabled Walgett to put Cobar under siege in defence of its score line.
Camels captain and co-coach Jarrod Marsden saved a certain try but the referee then yellow-carded Barnett for a supposed shoulder charge and made Cobar’s position untenable.
To Cobar’s credit Walgett failed to cross the try-line when the Camels were down to 13 men but by the time the ‘sinners’ returned to the paddock their team was out on its feet.
In the dying minutes of the match, Walgett scored two tries which, together with a single conversion, ‘stole’ the result.—Payney
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