Boggabri Kangaroos caught on the hop as Moree Boars soar

The semi-final hopes for the Boggabri Kangaroos were dealt a blow last Sunday, as the Moree Boars inflicted a 44-12 defeat in the Group 4 rugby league contest at Jubilee Oval.

The Kangaroos fell from equal-first to equal-second yet found themselves fifth on the ladder, due to having the most inferior for-and-against record among the four teams level on competition points.

Boggabri entered last weekend with a six-game winning streak, but the Kangaroos copped a reality check against the club which was the most recent to beat them – 46-12 back on May 25.

Having scored eight tries to three on May 25, the Boars notched eight tries to two last Sunday to move to the outright competition lead while being just one point ahead of four teams.

Had the Kangaroos won last Sunday, they would have moved to the top of the ladder while relegating Moree to outright fifth.

Moree led 46-0 before Boggabri scored three consolation tries in the final 18 minutes on May 25, whereas the Kangaroos were mathematically in contention for 50 minutes in last Sunday’s match.

Moree’s first try came in the 11th minute, following a play-the-ball centimetres from the tryline. Samual Sadler placed himself low to the ground as he picked up the ball from acting-half and simply placed it over the line.

Lacklustre defence from the Kangaroos enabled Boars fullback Lachlan McGrady to make a long break on a kick return in the 23rd minute.

On the last tackle of the same set, halfback Michael Watton fired the ball left to centre Kaedyn Smith who crashed over the tryline in a tackle to set up a 12-0 lead for the Boars.

After pressuring Moree’s tryline, the Kangaroos gained a scrum feed and then scored from a set play to reduce the margin to six points.

Andrew Wallace fed the scrum before Matthew Gillham picked up the ball at the back of the scrum and fed Wallace, who beat Moree’s defence and scored a converted try.

An error from Boggabri’s Pita Rogosau in a play-the-ball just moments later enabled the Boars to quickly return to the attack. Steven McIntosh threw an immaculately timed pass right to Brent McDonald who broke through for what looked a very simple try.

Moree took its 18-6 lead into half-time, before a try to Jack Durheim paved the way for a 24-6 lead in the first few minutes of the second half.

Sadler produced a clever change of direction from dummy-half, as he turned the ball to Durheim who crashed through the defence.

A change of direction from Wallace led to the next try, as leading try-scorer Josefa Gonduadua scurried through a gap and beat the last-gasp defence for a try beside the right post.

The hosts were back in the hunt at 24-12 down with a little over 30 minutes left, but the Boars kept their tryline intact for the remainder of the contest.

Successive tries to Smith extended the score to 34-12 before Jake Tighe and Alex Lawrence scored a try each in the final 15 minutes.

The first of those tries to Smith was marginal, as he dived over in the left corner and flattened the corner post.

The final try came soon after Tighe intercepted a loose pass from Wallace.

After the Boars made inroads, Watton turned an inside pass to Lawrence who pierced a gap and then crossed the tryline with a defender gripping his leg.

In reserve grade, Boggabri scored five tries to four in a 26-20 win.