The Cobar Camels may have done the Bourke/Bre team a favour in swapping the venue and hosting Saturday’s Western Plains Rugby Union game, but that was as far as their acquiescence stretched, with the Camels showing no mercy on the field to post a 36-24 win.
It was an even start to the Round 7 match at Ailsa Fitzsimmons Memorial Oval on Saturday with both sides constantly kicking in play to improve their field position.
The Camels eventually crossed for first points 20 minutes into the match after Kody Martin capitalized on a Bourke/Bre dropped ball close to the try line.
Martin picked it up and quickly passed it out wide for Will Allen to score in the corner.
Martin’s conversion attempt missed the mark for the Camels to lead 5-0.
After a lot of Bourke/Bre possession, the Camels once again made the most of another opportunity presented to them when Brandon ‘Chucky’ Jones scooped up a loose ball and raced away to score.
Martin’s second attempt at goal found its mark and the Camels now led 12-0.
The Camels then came alive and an invigor-ated enthusiastic team invoked a furious pick and drive passage of play which resulted in a try to Jay Ellison to take them out to a 17-0 lead.
Jones and Ellison then combined to score Cobar’s next try. Jones’ kick chase effort and break away run gained plenty of metres and then his pass to Ellison in support finished with a try under the posts for Ellison.
The visitors had travelled without any subs but the Cobar side evened things up somewhat when they had one of their backs and soon after a forward, both yellow carded for in-fringements and sent to the sinbin for 10 minutes.
The Camels scrambled in defence and a try-saving tackle in the corner by Allen kept the visitors scoreless while the Camels were “short staffed”.
The Bourke/Bre side did however push over for a converted try 10 minutes out from halftime and there was no change to the score by the time the referee called half time.
Bourke/Bre came back refreshed from the break and fought back in the second half scor-ing three tries.
The Camels however stepped up and re-sponded each time the Bourke/Bre side looked like getting back into the game.
They also added another two tries to their game tally, (through Troy Hill and Tyler Coughlan) to finish with a thrilling 36-24 win.
Ellison earned the Camels Best & Fairest three points (and Players’ Player award).
B&F two points went to Mitch Dunne and Darius Naera and Allen shared a point each.
While the rules of the ladies game still have a lot of the spectators baffled, the players howev-er seem to have got their heads around them and Saturday’s game between the Cobar Bac-trians and Bourke Ewes, prior to the First Grade match, was full of action.
The Bourke visitors finished with a 5-1 win but the Cobar side made sure they had to work hard for it.
Cobar’s Best & Fairest points went to Betha-ny Smith (3), Georgie Buckman/ Katelyn Mar-tin (2 each) and Sam Ward (1). Buckman also earned the Players’ Player award.
The Camels play host this Saturday to the Nyngan Bogan Bulls.
