Sports Spurts With Short ‘n’ Curly - April 18, 2023

From humble beginnings as a player in the inaugural league tag competition played in the Castlereagh League in 2015, then to being a premiership winning coach in that same competition.

Just two years later and now as the assistant coach to the Women’s Rugby League World Cup Champions Australian Jilleroos team and working full-time with the National Rugby League as its strategic path- ways manager, Jessica Skinner has accom- plished great things in a short period of time, while all the time calling Trangie home.

Jessica’s first involvement with the Castlereagh League was when she played with the Trangie Magpies in 2015, that being the first time that League Tag was played in the competition.

She began her coaching journey with the Castlereagh League Tag representative sides in 2015 to 2017, at the same time also being assistant coach with the Western Rams representative league tag side and in 2017 she coached the Warren Bulldogs team to a Castlereagh League Tag premier- ship.

That same year she became head coach of the Western Rams Women’s Rugby League representative side.

She has been heavily involved in the Far West Academy of Sport’s league tag and women’s rugby league programs, as the head coach in both sports for a number of years, and continues to hold those roles within that organisation.

Her coaching career has subsequently blossomed to include (but not being limited to), being assistant coach with the Newcastle Knights NRLW team in 2021, assistant coach with the Indigenous All Stars from 2021 to now and the assistant coach with the Australian World Cup Champions Jillaroos Rugby League side and being the head coach with the NRL Indigenous Women’s Academy.

When the Castlereagh League clubs voted to have a Boronia Cup equivalent (see below for information regarding the Boronia Cup) in its league tag competition, there was some thought given as to what that cup should be called. It was unanimously decided that apart from her outstanding achievements, Jessica presented herself as an excellent role model for any female playing league tag or rugby league within the vast Castlereagh League area, and that the Cup should be named the Jessica Skinner Challenge Cup.

Jessica will be on hand to present the cup named in her honour to the winners of the Castlereagh league tag knockout to be played at Coonamble this Saturday, and they will defend the cup when they play their first home game during the 2023 season.

(The Boronia Cup has a long history stretching well back into the days of Group 14 Rugby League. It is a Challenge Cup that is played for during first grade competition games only (not during the finals) with the holder of the cup defending it on their home ground, that is, to win the cup a team must defeat the holder of the cup on the cuphold- er’s home ground.)

•••

Me and Me Mate were having a deep and meaningful discussion just the other week, with the topic being success.

I happened to ask him, “What do you reckon succeeds the most?”

He didn’t have to think too long about it before he replied, “A toothless budgie!”

•••

Not too many more sleeps now for all those Gular Rugga lovers because the Western Plains Rugby Union competition is due to kick off, not this coming Saturday, but the following, that being April 29.

It will depend on whether or not you like a bit of a road trip as to if you will actually get to view the Tricolours in their first outing this year because they are off to Bourke to play Bre/Bourke in the opening round.

This trip seems to be a bit of a Western Plains tradition in the opening round and perhaps it is a good trip to get out of the way early in the season.

Certainly it would serve as an excellent ‘bonding’ exercise on the bus trip home if but nothing else.

•••

Services Club Stop Press, ten years ago!

Rugby League – The Gilgandra Panthers won the Castlereagh League knockout when they defeated the Warren Bulldogs 26- 6 in the final.

Swimming – some of the award winners at the Gilgandra Swimming Club’s presenta- tion included Kaitlyn Norris, Blake Frost, Shelby Mathieson, Sophie Hassall, James Kildey, Carrissa Harrison, Katie Kildey, Abby Ryan, Bradley Kildey, Brianna Duncan, Rebecca Gaff and Jacob Wilson.

•••

On ANZAC Day the Gilgandra Services Club will be open at 7am after the Dawn Service for breakfast. Two Up will start at 2pm. $5800 members’ draw this Friday plus Spinna Winna with 50 draws. Member’s lunch bistro specials are just $13. Gilgandra Services Club, your com- munity Club!

•••

Christie and Hood Castlereagh League Cobar OK at KO!

After claiming the 2022 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League first grade pre- miership, the Cobar Roosters have added another piece of silverware to put in their tro- phy cabinet, that being the 2023 Knockout

Shield which they claimed at Dunedoo last Saturday. With all nine first grade teams playing a good crowd was in attendance to witness the non-stop football action on offer.

With the games being relatively short in duration not a whole lot can be read into the results, but winning form is good form.

The Roosters picked up from where they left off in 2022 as they registered a hard fought 8-6 win over an enthusiastic Baradine Magpies outfit in their opening match, before then accounting for an equally enthu- siastic Binnaway team 10-4 in a semi-final which gained them a berth in the final against last year’s knockout winners, the Narromine Jets.

The Jets had previously downed Coonabarabran 16-10, before snatching a thrilling 12-8 semi-final victory over the Coonamble Bears, a 60-metre intercept try with 20 seconds remaining getting them home.

In the final the Roosters proved to be too strong and walked away with the shield with the score being 16-6.

Attention this Saturday will turn to the League Tag and Youth League knockouts that will be played at Coonamble with a 12 noon kick off and two fields being used.

•••

Me Mate and his Missus were sitting down one night when out of the blue he asked her what reincarnation was all about.

“Well,” she explained, “It is when you come back in another life as something dif- ferent to what you are in your current life!”

Me Mate thought about that for a while and then he asked, “So like as if I came back as a pig?”

His Missus replied, “You haven’t been lis- tening, have you?”

•••

Christie and Hood Castlereagh League Senior Rugby League Knockout - Saturday, April 15
Preliminary Round

Gulgong 20 defeated Gilgandra 6, Narromine 16 defeated Coonabarabran 10, Coonamble 12 defeated Dunedoo 6, Cobar 8 defeated Baradine 6, Binnaway 18 defeat- ed Gulgong 16.

Repechage games

Dunedoo 16 defeated Coonabarabran 4, Gilgandra and Baradine drew 12 all with Gilgandra advancing due to being the first scorer, Dunedoo 14 defeated Gulgong 6.

Final: Gilgandra defeated Dunedoo.

Knockout games

Narromine 12 defeated Coonamble 8, Cobar 10 defeated Binnaway 4,

Final: Cobar 16 defeated Narromine 6.

•••

The Kieren Hazelton owned and trained three-year-old gelding saluted at Warren last Saturday in a Maiden event having a starting price of $5.

The day before the Hazelton Racing Stable was in action at Orange where Not Too Bad ($5) finished third in a Benchmark 58 Showcase Handicap.

•••

My Weakly Weekly Poetic Effort!

Shipwrecked on an island, Me Mate was all alone.

He was stuck there by himself,and could- n’t use his phone.

So, he lay there in the sun, to pass the time of day.

But he soon got very bored, and a game he had to play.

French cricket it was to be, and he decid- ed that he would bat.

And as days turned into weeks, he played on that sandy flat.

Eventually he was rescued, by a passing boat.

And as he sailed away from that island, he began to gloat.

“Two months and three days, I’ve been stuck upon that dirt”.

“And each and every day, I’ve played French Cricket till it hurt!”

“It seemed to me in the end, that nothing else really mattered.”

“As I am now very proud to say, it’s the longest that I’ve ever batted!”

•••

Well, who’s counting anyway?

Dare say that the Morris boys might have been last Saturday and that is understand- able because counting is a rather important element when it comes to playing golf.

You see the brothers Morris, that being Will and Ike, were among the field that played in the Stableford event at the Gil Royal and Ancient that day.

At the end of proceedings on the course the lads had both accumulated the same number of points, the count being 36 apiece, so more counting was required to separate the pair, that counting being a count back which resulted in Will getting the bragging rights and subsequently third place on the podium.

A count of 37 points delivered second position to Andy Harris while the winner, no bull, notched up 40 points.

Actually, it was bull, Bull Lambell to be precise.

•••

Me Mate vows and swears that this is true!

He was down at his favourite watering hole the other day when in walked a giraffe! Yep fair dinkum a giraffe walked right on

in and lopes up to the bar!
The barman stares up at him and says,

“Sorry mate but we don’t serve Heineken here!”

(Think about it for a while and it will come to you! If it doesn’t come to you get the low down from someone who does get it or phone a friend!)

•••

Look it wasn’t pretty but when it comes to beating the Drag Queens neither me or Me Mate actually give a ratz and we will happily watch the MIGHTY RAIDERS collect the two competition points as indeed we will watch those Drag Queenie supporters queue up to pay us their now due debts.

Just love that Green Machine! (Well, at the moment I do anyway. Nah I love them all the time, but sometimes they make it very hard to do so.)

•••

OK so that’s it from me for this week but of course just before I go Me Mate really wanted me to tell you that he knows a local fruit and vegetable business has gone into liquidation.

They are making smoothies!

Probably best that I call it quits for this week on that note, so until next time take it easy and go you Mighty Raiders!

Well actually they have the bye this weekend, but if you have been following them for as long as I have you can never take anything for granted.

Have a safe and respectful ANZAC Day.