Sport
29 August, 2025
Flamin’ Galahs are runners-up
The Flamin’ Galahs fell agonisingly just short of a premiership, being pipped at the post by Coonamble Rams 15-12 in the 2025 Western Plains Rugby Union Tri Tag grand final at Walgett on Saturday, August 23.
By The Pink Parrot
The 2025 Ahrens Cup decider was between the two best teams for the Tri Tag season and a fitting spectacle ensued.
Both teams had gotten to know each other and their patterns of play well over the year, having played each other no less than four times over the season.
The game started with the intensity that one would expect of a grand final.
The Flamin’ Galahs appeared a little nervous to start, but got into their rhythm of play.
The Coonamble ladies set the tone for the match, that it would be physical, and it appeared that the officials were going to allow this to go on.
The physicality in the game saw dynamic fullback Paige Wilson get heavy contact in a tag early in the match, which led to a pretty significant tissue and muscle injury in her left knee that hampered Paige throughout the match. Paige would not have the same impact in a game that she always does.
In the 11th minute smart play by the Coonamble ladies saw them open the scoring and take a 5-0 lead in the grand final. It was only three minutes later that speedy replacement Flamin’ Galahs centre Kayla Beaton swivelled her way through the Coonamble ladies’ defence and ran 50 metres to score under the post to even the scores up 5-5. Paige was able to convert the try. The Flamin’ Galahs led 7-5.
The match again remained evenly poised in defence and attack. Grace Lummis in the centres was again causing all sorts of chaos, making breaks and unsettling the Coonamble team.
It was Grace again who darted through the Coonamble defence and ran some 50 metres down the eastern touchline, to just get tagged about 10 metres out from the try line.
Fullback Paige Wilson was johnny on the spot when she ducked over for a try as the Coonamble defence was still trying to reform after Grace’s break. The conversion was waved away, and the Flamin’ Galahs now led 12-5.
Right on the stroke of half-time, Coonamble kept the ball alive and made a break also from about 50 metres out on the western touchline, and after several attempts to tag the player unsuccessfully, Coonamble Rams ran in to score that had the game at 12-10 in Flamin’ Galahs favour.
The conversion for the try was waved away and at half-time the Flamin’ Galahs remained in front by two points.
