Bulldogs crush the Blues to climb the Group 4 Rugby League ladder

The Gunnedah Bulldogs may not be able to qualify for this year’s Group 4 Rugby League first grade finals series, but they are determined to finish the season on a high and they are doing just that after demolishing Narrabri Blues 62-0 at Kitchener Park in round 16 on Sunday.

The victory was Gunnedah’s third on the trot and their fourth in five games, which saw them rise to sixth on the nine-team ladder.

They were in cruise control for the entire 58 minutes of a one-sided game that ended when Aidan Davis went over for the hosts’ 12th unanswered try of the day.

Despite their dominance, the Dogs got gritty when they needed to and defended superbly on their line on the few occasions they were required to.

They had possession of the ball for the majority of the match and they consistently rolled their way up the field with massive carry after massive carry. In the end, they looked a class above the last-placed Blues.

Jared Heinrich opened the scoring for the Bulldogs in the fifth minute and the tries just kept on coming.

Isaac Reeves (12’), Jim Muller (15’) and Wil Patterson (21’) all scored in quick succession and then Keegan Loughrey bagged a swift double with tries in the 27th and 31st minutes.

Max Turner crossed for the final try of the opening half for the hosts in the 36th minute as they went into the break ahead 36-0, with Jonathan Crowe having converted four of the seven tries.

Once again it was Heinrich who opened the scoring in the second half and again it took him five minutes to do so. He then completed his hat-trick in the 49th minute and Crowe added the extras to make the score 46-0.

Oscar King scored Gunnedah’s 10th try of the day in the 53rd minute and Crowe then kicked his sixth successful goal as the Dogs put themselves in a position where they needed just eight more points to bring the match to a close.

Davis provided all eight of those as he went over for tries in the 55th and 58th minutes to make the score 60-0, which meant the referee was forced to blow full-time with 22 minutes left.

Crowe was still able to kick the goal before the game was officially over and he nailed it to make the final score 62-0.

Gunnedah’s coach Sean Hayne told Group 4 Media he was pleased that his men showed the defensive resolve required to hold the Narrabri Blues to zero points.

“We did what we had to do, but the good thing was we kept our line intact,” he said.

“We were able to defend our line and everyone played their part and done their job.”

Sunday’s win saw Gunnedah leap the Dungowan Cowboys, who they beat 38-24 to kick off the best streak of their season back in round 13. The Bulldogs then beat North Tamworth 24-22 in round 14 before they sat out with the round 15 bye.

The Cowboys lost 52-30 away from home to Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters in round 16 on Saturday to remain on 14 points before the Dogs climbed to 15 points on Sunday to go sixth.

Dungowan’s run home includes a home game against Werris Creek in round 17 and an away game against Boggabri in the final round, while Gunnedah’s run home includes an away game against Wee Waa Panthers in round 17 and a home game against Kootingal-Moonbi in round 18.

Gunnedah are eight points outside the top four and will not play finals.

“It’s a pity we lost a few close games earlier in the season otherwise we might have been playing finals footy,” Hayne told Group 4 Media.

“That’s disappointing because we do have the potential.”

The other round 16 games that were played last weekend saw Werris Creek Magpies end Moree Boars’ unbeaten run with a 40-32 win on Saturday, and North Tamworth outscore Wee Waa 62-0 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Dogs went through the entire day without conceding on Sunday as they cruised past Narrabri 38-0 in ladies league tag and 62-0 in reserve grade.

The mercy rule was called with six minutes remaining in the first half of the reserve grade match.

Tara Wilkinson-Ryan, Zara Mannion, Nautica Eather, Zoe Fleming, Dakota Durrant, Jacqueline Jones and Deneka Jones and scored a try each for the hosts in the league tag match and Fleming kicked five goals.

Matt Ross claimed a hat-tick in the reserve grade win, Dylan O’Brien bagged a double, and Liam Ireland, Cameron Maxwell, Cody McCauley, Tyrone Rankmore, Jack Grob and Bailee Crowe scored a try each. Crowe kicked five goals and Trent White, Rankmore, Ireland, and McCauley kicked one each.