Camels club had cause for celebration

The Cobar Camels had cause for celebration
on Saturday when both their men’s and
women’s teams recorded victories over visitors,
Gulargambone.
The Camels had a hard fought 22-7 victory in
their Western Plains Rugby Union Round 3
First Grade game at Ailsa Fitzsimmons Memorial
Oval while the Cobar Bactrians beat the
Flamin’ Galahs 7-6 in the ladies game.
It was a lacklustre first half of footy for Saturday’s
First Grade game with not much team
talk going on (by either side).
Both teams failed to string more than a couple
of phases of play together and it reflected
on the 0-all scoreboard which stayed that way
for the first 39 minutes of the match.
It wasn’t until the halftime whistle that the
scoreboard monitor was called into action after
Kody Martin landed a penalty conversion from
in front which put Cobar 3-0 ahead at oranges.
The spectators however got their money’s
worth in the second half with the Camels returning
to the field with more determination.
Perhaps it was the inclusion of Joe Regan
(who has been absent for a few seasons), into
the second half line up that turned the tide, but
the Camels were now stringing their phases
together which gained them good metres.
They picked and drove well and a draw and
pass to the waiting backline 10 minutes after
the re-start gave winger Will Allen plenty of
room to run around the Gular defence and
score under the posts. Martin’s easy conversion
put Cobar ahead 10-0.
Attacking the line, the Camels’ hardworking
halfback Jay Ellison (who once again shared in
the game’s Best & Fairest points) put through a
grubber kick which was pounced on by winger
Tyson Brilley and, with Martin’s successful
conversion, Cobar went to a 17-0 lead.
Soon after Allen scored his second try following
some scrappy play. He was again given
room to move and he made the most of the
opportunity to score out wide.
To their credit Gular never gave in and, after
sustained attack on the line, the visitors were
rewarded with a penalty try close to the
fulltime whistle.
Despite recording the 15 point win, the Camels’
flair in attack in this game did not live up
to their efforts from last week’s match against
Coonamble. Had they repeated it this week, the
Camels’ winning margin would most definitely
have been much greater, however they still
happily claimed the winning points.
Breakaway Darius Naera earned the Camels’
Best & Fairest three points, Ellison picked up
two points and one point each went to Allen
and second-rower Lachlan Mitchell (who won
a few good lineouts for the Camels).
In the Bactrians women’s game, the Cobar
side were helped in their 7-6 win over the visitors
with the aid of three Roosterettes League
Tag players, Taylah Good, Brianna Watson
and Aisha Schofield.
Watson (2), Schofield (2), Georgie Buckman
and Isabella Morton (2) scored their tries with
Best & Fairest points going to Buckman, Lucy
Belle and Georgia Nicholson. Nikki Gilbert
was their Players’ Player.
The Cobar club will host their third successive
home games this Saturday when they take
on the Walgett Rams for Round 4.