Sport
1 July, 2026
'GRUB' christened with mixed results for Gulargambone
The first trip on the new 55-seater bus was a mixed bag for Gulargambone Rugby Union Club
By The Pink Parrot
The first trip on the new 55-seater bus was a mixed bag as the women returned home from Walgett with a 12-5 win, while the men went down 31-7 at Algy Friend Oval in Western Plains Rugby Union action on Saturday, June 27.
The GRUB gets rolling and Flamin’ Galahs Get Going!
All roads led to Walgett for the Gulargambone Rugby Union Club on a wet and miserable Saturday (June 27) as the Flamin Galahs travelled north for its round nine Western Plains Rugby Union Ahrens Cup Tri Tag clash against the Walgett Ewes.
The day also marked the official unveiling of the club’s new 55-seater bus, providing players and officials with a comfortable journey to away matches.
Fittingly christened: ‘The GRUB’ (Gulargambone Rugby Union Bus), the new addition safely transported the team thanks to club president and driver Benn Jenkin.
Unfortunately, the weather showed no signs of improving during the trip, with conditions becoming even wetter as the team headed north.
Despite the persistent rain, the Flamin’ Galahs were first to take to the field. Credit to the Walgett oval, which held up remarkably well considering the amount of rain it had received, providing a playable surface despite the soggy conditions.
The game plan was much the same as the previous week – defence, defence, defence, and ball security in attack.
The Flamin’ Galahs were dealt a late setback when starting fly-half Heidi Ferguson was ruled out through injury.
Her absence saw the club’s international returnees, Peta Bradley (USA) and Caitlynn Mills (Europe), share the fly-half duties. Both ladies stepped up admirably and did an outstanding job.
Much like the previous week, the Flamin’ Galahs had their try line breached within the opening five minutes. A clever show-and-go from the Walgett Ewes’ dummy-half to the blind side, followed by a perfectly weighted grubber kick, resulted in an individual try and an early 5-nil lead for the home side.
However, just as they had done the week before, those would be the only points conceded by the Flamin’ Galahs for the remainder of the match.
Both teams went toe-to-toe in attack and defence, with the Flamin’ Galahs once again displaying tremendous resilience.
Their tagging was outstanding despite the difficult, rain-soaked conditions.
Tough little pocket rocket Grace Lummis, playing at outside centre, copped an accidental stray boot to the right eye that left her looking more like a prize cage fighter than a Tri Tag rugby player by the end of the game.
In the 15th minute, the exceptional and explosive inside centre Kayla Beaton took matters into her own hands.
Receiving the ball at first receiver around 45 metres out, she weaved and dodged her way past no fewer than four Walgett defenders before scoring beneath the posts.
Kayla calmly converted her own try to give the Flamin’; Galahs a 7-5 lead.
Just five minutes later, scrum-half Sarah Chandler ran a well-executed wrap play to the right and came within inches of scoring.
From the ensuing phase, the ever-dangerous Beaton took the ball at first receiver close to the Ewes’; line, hit a smart angle, and crossed for her second try of the afternoon, extending the Flamin’ Galahs’ advantage to 12-5.
That score remained unchanged heading into half-time and, despite both teams continuing to battle bravely in the wet conditions, neither side was able to add to it for the remainder of the match.
The second half was a real grind as the rain continued to fall, making ball security extremely difficult for both teams.
The Flamin’ Galahs looked the more dangerous side with ball in hand, but credit must go to the Walgett ladies, who defended bravely and repeatedly held their line.
Captain Paige Wilson, Kayla Beaton, Caitlynn Mills and Peta Bradley were at their creative best, combining with the forwards through some well-executed wrap and block plays that continually kept the Walgett defence guessing.
Lucy Irish was once again a beacon of supreme fitness in the rover position, getting to every ruck and ensuring the Flamin’ Galahs stayed on the front foot throughout the match.
The visitors produced several dangerous line breaks that looked certain to result in points, only for the slippery conditions to deny them with unfortunate handling errors at the final pass.
Scrum-half Sarah Chandler has taken her Tri Tag rugby to another level this season.
Always scheming around the ruck, making valuable metres with her darting runs and directing play superbly, Sarah has become one of the Flamin Galahs premier players and organisers.
Sarah never takes a backward step when the contest gets tough, and this was another outstanding performance as she continually looked to create opportunities for her side.
As mentioned earlier, the score remained 12-5 until full-time, with the Flamin’ Galahs recording a thoroughly deserved victory after another gritty defensive display.
The ladies now have the bye next weekend, with Cobar unfortunately unable to field a women’s Tri Tag side.
They will return to action the following Saturday when they once again climb aboard the GRUB and make the long journey to Bourke to take on the Bourke Ewes while the men play the Bourke and Brewarrina Barbarians on the same day.
The Bourke Ewes ladies have been almost impenetrable on their home ground this season, making this another tough assignment for the Flamin’ Galahs.
It is, however, a challenge the squad will undoubtedly relish.
Best and fairest points: Kayla Beaton (three points), Sarah Chandler (two points), Alanna Clark and Jess Fleming (one point each). Players’ player: Kayla Beaton.
Walgett outlasts spirited Galahs
The Gulargambone men travelled to Walgett on Saturday with a squad of 23 to take on one of the competition’s benchmark sides in bitterly cold and wet conditions.
Despite the weather, the Walgett playing surface held up remarkably well and provided a quality field for both teams.
The pre-game message from coach Mark Ferguson was simple: trust the system, trust each other, and believe they could compete with one of the competition’s top teams.
From the opening kick-off, Walgett showed exactly why they sit among the competition leaders, applying strong defensive pressure and carrying the ball with purpose.
Their defence made it difficult for Gular to escape their own half during the opening exchanges. Despite the challenging conditions, Gular gradually settled into the contest and pieced together several patient phases.
However, a costly turnover allowed Walgett to pounce on an opportunity and score out wide, taking an early 7–nil lead.
Rather than dropping their heads, Gular produced arguably their most patient period of attacking rugby this season, spending the next 20 minutes camped inside Walgett’s half.
Walgett’s defence was relentless, but strong carries from captain Jack Bradley, Isaac Grimshaw and Mitch Graham kept Gular moving forward, while Ryan Ferguson and Bailey Wykes continually asked questions of the defence.
After repeated pressure, numerous scrums in the slippery conditions and consistent probing at the Walgett line, Gular finally broke through.
Ryan Ferguson cleverly regathered his own kick before diving over out wide to level the scores at 7–all.
Gular looked to maintain the pressure, but another costly turnover handed momentum back to Walgett, who capitalised before halftime to take a 12–7 lead.
The half-time message centred around belief. Coach Mark Ferguson urged the side to look at the scoreboard and recognise they were matching it with one of the region’s best teams.
Unfortunately, a number of first-half injuries forced several positional changes across both the forwards and backs.
Gular again started the second half strongly, applying pressure deep inside Walgett’s territory.
However, a string of relieving penalties allowed Walgett to work their way out of danger and swing momentum back their way.
Nick Tancred and Dylan Ryan continued to produce powerful carries that kept Gular in the contest when momentum was difficult to find, while Jake Peart and Darcy Neeves provided valuable metres with several strong kick returns.
As the game wore on, Walgett capitalised on Gular’s tiring defence to extend the lead to 19–7 before some slick backline movement saw them cross again to make it 24–7.
They added one final try on the full-time siren to seal a 31–7 victory.
While the result didn’t fall Gular’s way, there were plenty of encouraging signs. The experience will provide valuable lessons as they continue to build throughout the season. Best and fairest points: Nick Tancred (three points), Mitch Graham (two points), Isaac Grimshaw and Dylan Ryan (one point). Players’ player: Isaac Grimshaw.
