After claiming the 2022 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League First Grade premiership, the Cobar Roosters have added another piece of silverware to put in their trophy cabinet, the 2023 Knockout Shield which they claimed at Dunedoo on Saturday.
With all nine of the league’s First Grade teams in this year’s competition playing in the knockout on Saturday, there was a good crowd in attendance at Dunedoo to witness the non-stop football action on offer.
The games were relatively short in duration and while not a whole lot can be read into the results, winning form is good form.
The Roosters picked up from where they left off in 2022, continuing their winning form, but on Saturday they did it with almost an entirely new side with the club helped out by a number of Under 18s players along with a few Cobar Camels players who also joined the Cobar line-up.
Cobar registered a hard fought 8-6 win over an enthusiastic Baradine Magpies outfit in their opening match with Jack Brown and Tadgh McMullen their try scorers.
The Roosters then accounted for an equally eager Binnaway team 10-4 in a semi final.
No one could get past the Roosters’ hardman Zane Taylor with his strong defence.
Brown moved from his usual spot on the wing and filled some big shoes in the fullback position and did an outstanding job.
Their efforts helped to earn the Roosters a berth in the final against last year’s knockout winners, the Narromine Jets.
In their run up to the final, the Jets had previously downed Coonabarabran 16-10, before snatching a thrilling 12-8 semi-final victory over the Coonamble Bears. (That victory came in the dying stages of the game after a 60 metre intercept try which was scored with 20 seconds remaining.)
In the final the Roosters proved to be too strong and walked away with the shield after beating the Jets 16-6.
Kai Taylor made two impressive breaks on the wing, running the length of the field and scoring from both to help Cobar through to their win.
