Two late tries enabled the Boggabri Kangaroos to steal a heart-stopping 18-16 victory over the Werris Creek Magpies in Group 4 rugby league action at David Taylor Oval last Saturday.
This was the only competitive contest of the round, while the other three fixtures resulted in identical 60-0 scorelines.
Boggabri was in danger of slipping to fifth place when trailing 16-8 with six minutes remaining, but the comeback win enabled the Kangaroos to join the Magpies at the top of the table on 17 competition points.
The previous weekend, Werris Creek had its first defeat of the season as the now equal-fourth Gunnedah inflicted a 50-10 beating.
Last Saturday, meanwhile, was a far cry from the May 17 contest on Boggabri soil when the Magpies beat the Kangaroos 36-10.
Magpies winger Joash Boney scored the opening try last Saturday, before a try each to Andrew Wallace and Pita Rogosau in the space of nine minutes enabled Boggabri to grab an 8-4 lead.
The home side regained the lead shortly before half-time as Nash Porter landed the first conversion of the game, following a try to Darcy Weatherall.
The Magpies clung to their mere two-point lead for the first 25 minutes of the second half, and then moved eight points clear with a converted try to Tyler Swift.
The Shane Rampling -coached Kangaroos were not going to give up, with Rogosau’s second try coming in the 75th minute before Ash White converted.
Group 4’s leading try-scorer Josefa Gonduadua stepped up when it mattered the most as he broke the line with just over a minute remaining, and broke the hearts of the locals with the match-winning try.
In reserve grade, Werris Creek moved to equal-first on the points table with a 32-18 triumph while Boggabri maintained a share of fourth place.
The Magpies scored six tries to three.
The leaguetag fixture was predictably one-sided, as the higher-placed Magpies scored 10 tries in a 58-0 shutout against the last-placed and winless Kangaroos.
Dayna Porter bagged five four-pointers for the Magpies women.
