Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: wrap, results, standouts from round six

One team broke through for an emotional win, another made a huge premiership statement, while a young gun’s incredible try-scoring run continued during round six of the NRRRL.

Players from the Lower Clarence Magpies, Tweed Coast Raiders and Casino Cougars in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL). Picture: supplied

It was an emotional round in the NRRRL, with one team rising to the occasion to record its first win of the season on old boys’ day and another making a serious premiership statement on a weekend where clubs celebrated their indigenous players.

Elsewhere, one young gun continued his incredible try-scoring form, while some upsets turned the form guide upside down.

ROUND FIVE: All the action and main takeaways

Catch up with all the action and talking points with the NRRRL Seven-Tackle Set.

1) Massive day for the Cougars

It was a huge day for Casino on Saturday, with the Cougars hosting their own festival of footy at Queen Elizabeth Park.

Starting at 8:30am and finishing around 12 hours later, some 24 junior games and four senior fixtures were played on their three grounds, in what doubled as old boys’ day for the club.

It was an emotional day for the club, played in memory of Cougars’ legend Trevor Peart, who recently passed away.

The senior players certainly rose to the occasion, taking a clean sweep of Kyogle to win four from four in the women’s tackle, under-18s, reserve grade and first grade games.

It was a drought-breaking win for the first grade team, whose victory was not only their first this season, but their first since August 2021 (657 days, to be precise), after the club decided not to enter an A-grade team last season.

The win put a smile on plenty of faces in Casino, who’s junior club is absolutely booming at the moment with more than 390 boys and girls registered to play this season.

2) Northern lay down credentials

Northern United have been very impressive so far this season. Photo: Northern United RLFC.

It was also a significant game at Bilambil on Sunday with Northern United ending the defending premiers’ 15-game unbeaten run with a nailbiting 20-18 victory.

It was the Jets’ first loss in nearly 12 months, and while they will remain one of the main contenders for this year’s premiership, the result was also significant for the Dirawongs.

After finishing eighth last season in what was a year severely affected by the floods in Lismore, Northern United have proven to be one of the competition’s biggest improvers and currently sit in second place, equal with Bilambil, with a record of four wins, one loss and a bye.

After accounting for Mullumbimby, Kyogle and Casino in their first three games, the Lismore-based side went down narrowly to competition leaders Ballina 30-22 last week, and have shown they are the real deal with a victory over the Jets.

3) And then there was one

The Dirawongs’ victory over Bilambil means that Ballina sits alone at the top of the NRRRL ladder after six rounds.

The Seagulls put on the afterburners in the second half to account for Mullumbimby 40-8 on Sunday, leaving them as the only undefeated team in the competition this season.

A key hallmark of Ballina’s game has been their blistering attack, with the team having scoring 216 points in six games so far this games, at an average of 36 per game.

4) Lower Clarence flying

One of the other positive stories to come out of the early rounds of 2023 has been the improvement of the Lower Clarence Magpies.

After pulling out of the first grade competition halfway through last season, owing to a lack of players, the Magpies have been more than competitive in 2023, winning three of their first six games.

On Sunday they got the points against last year’s minor premiers Murwillumbah with an excellent 28-22 victory, which came one week after they were cruelly beaten at the death by defending premiers Bilambil 24-22.

Led by captain-coach Luke Douglas, the club has turned to a host of local juniors and players returning to the area to improve their standards, with halfback Vincent Williams and Grant Brown among those who have been instrumental in guiding the team around the paddock.

5) Anderson the try-scoring machine

It might have been somewhat of a tough start to the season for Evans Head, but Bombers winger Brandon Anderson certainly hasn’t had any trouble finding the tryline.

Skilful, quick and a great finisher, Anderson bagged a hat-trick on the weekend against Tweed Coast, which came after he crossed for four against Byron Bay a week earlier.

He is currently at the top of the tryscorer’s chart with eight, two ahead of Ballina’s Rowan Mansfield and three clear of Lower’s Tyler Essex and Northern United’s Allan McKenzie.

6) Indigenous Round goes off

Just as the NRL celebrated Indigenous Round on the weekend, a number of clubs in the NRRRL also paid tribute to their first nations’ stars during round six.

In their clash with Northern United, who were established by members of Lismore’s indigenous community, Bilambil wore a special indigenous jersey which featured a design that would give those in the NRL a serious run for their money.

At Casino, Cougars legend Billy Walker and Wayne Walker performed a Welcome to Country before the first grade clash with Kyogle.

Meanwhile Lower Clarence were among the other clubs to pay tribute to the occasion ahead of their match against the Mustangs at Murwillumbah.

And best of all, we were blessed with some stunning performances from the first nations men and women running around in the NRRRL.

7) NRRRL is a tipster’s nightmare

Anyone involved in a local tipping comp would have been pulling their hair out after a series of unpredictable results over the weekend seemingly ripped up the form guide.

Perhaps the biggest turnaround came from Byron Bay, who bounced back from a 58-0 drubbing at the hands of Evans Head last weekend to beat Marist Brothers 38-20 at home.

As for the Bombers, they couldn’t capitalise on their huge win last weekend, going down 24-18 to Tweed Coast, who themselves bounced back from a 36-12 loss to local rivals Cudgen.

There was more, with Murwillumbah losing to Lower Clarence at home, despite coming off back-to-back wins and seemingly getting their season back on track.

The unpredictable nature of performances has left us with a tight competition, with just three points separating fifth and 11th after six rounds.

Round six wrap

One club broke a two-year drought, another tasted its first defeat for 12 months, while a series of upset results mixed up the competition ladder during round six of the NRRRL.

The weekend’s action kicked off on Saturday night with Casino hosting Kyogle on old boys’ day, while on Sunday defending premiers Bilambil took on high-flying Northern United in the match of the round.

NRRRL SEVEN-TACKLE SET: round five action and takeaways

Elsewhere, Ballina were looking to extend their unbeaten run against Mullumbimby, Tweed Coast hosted Evans Head, Murwillumbah welcomed Lower Clarence and Byron Bay were looking to bounce back from last weekend’s humiliation against Marist Brothers at home.

Catch up with a wrap of the action below.

Casino breaks 657-day drought against Turkeys

Casino has opened its account for the season and in doing so broken a 657-day drought after coming from behind to record a 28-18 victory over Kyogle on old boys’ day at Queen Elizabeth Park.

Four consecutive tries either side of half time turned the match on its head in the Cougars’ favour as the club recorded its first A-grade victory since defeating Byron Bay 34-32 back on 1 August 2021.

While there was plenty of support for the home side following a day full of junior games on the ground, it was Kyogle who opened the scoring, with some nice work on the right edge from halfback Sam Nicholson and backrower Liam Hori-Clark putting centre Brock Westerman over to give the side a 6-0 lead.

The Turkeys then extended their lead midway through the half when fullback Chanse Perham, seeing the home side terribly out of shape on their right edge, threw a nice cut-out ball for winger Harry Waddington to stroll over.

While Kyogle had the better of play, Casino struck back right before half time, with Billy Opa instigating a blind side raid to put Kale Fraser over in the corner and leave scores at 10-4 at the break.

The Cougars then took that momentum with them into the second half, scoring three tries in the first 20 minutes set the platform for their victory.

The first came just five minutes after the break when some clever play from Opa and a good inside line from Bryce Freeburn saw the forward crash over and level scores at 10-all.

The Cougars were at it again just a couple of minutes later when captain-coach Ryan Walker decided to run the ball on the last, linking up with halfback Luke Torrens who then found Isaiah Freeburn, who cut back against the grain to slice through the defence, before putting on a step to beat the fullback and score.

The home side then pushed the scoreline out to 22-10 midway through the half when five-eighth Eddie Walker-Williams combined well with his right edge backrower to score.

While Kyogle hit back with a try, Walker combined with the left edge to put winger Graham Terry over with 10 minutes to go to seal the win, much to the delight of the home fans.

Casino 28 def Kyogle 18

Northern ends Bilambil’s hot streak

Northern United has ended Bilambil’s 15-game unbeaten run and also reaffirmed its status as one of the competition frontrunners after a seesawing 20-18 victory over the Jets at the East Bilambil Sports Field.

A late try to Damon Coldwell sealed the win against the defending premiers in a game where the lead changed five times.

The visitors were the first to score 12 minutes in. Attacking the Bilambil line, hooker Jamahl Roberts ducked out of dummy half, put in a little grubber which deflected off Bilambil legs before diving on the ball to score to give his side a 4-0 lead.

The Dirawongs then extended the lead to six on 27 minutes when Hakeem Torrens slotted a penalty after a high shot.

However a knock on from the kick-off gave Bilambil a golden opportunity to hit back to which they duly obliged. Clever work from Tom Rowles at dummy half put Hayden Hansen over between the sticks to lock things up at 6-6.

However Northern ensured they took a 10-6 lead into the break, with Allan McKenzie doing well to leap high and catch a cross field kick from Desmond Ferguson before powering past a couple of defenders to score.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with Bilambil’s Alex Fitzhugh scoring before Northern United’s Allan McKenzie crossed for his double to give his side a 16-12 lead.

Fitzhugh was in the thick of the action again in the very next set, charging down and regathering a Dirawongs’ kick to put the Jets in a great attacking position. A spread from right to left then put Blake Graham over untouched and once again saw the lead change as the defending premiers nudged ahead 18-16.

However while Bilambil got away with a tight win last weekend against Lower Clarence, there was to be no repeat against Northern, with some nice link up play from Hezakiah McKenzie, Hakeem Torrens and Clarence Kelly down the left edge putting Coldwell in space down the touchline, with the winger showing enough speed and power to crash over with 10 minutes to go to seal the win for the Dirawongs.

The loss was Bilambil’s first since going down to Evans Head almost 12 months ago, with Northern United now join the Jets on joint second place with 10 competition points.

Northern United 20 def Bilambil 18

Ballina alone at the top after win over Giants

Ballina remain the only undefeated team in the competition after a five-try second half blitz helped the Seagulls to a 40-8 victory over a stubborn Mullumbimby side.

The victory extends Ballina’s unbeaten record to six games, with the team having scored a whopping 178 points in its last four outings alone.

Although Ballina have been flying high at the top of the competition, it was the Giants – who themselves came into the game in fourth place on the back of a great start to the season – who opened the scoring, with forward Owen Brock too strong for the Ballina left edge defence, palming off his opponent to score in the eighth minute.

Ballina hit back four minutes later when Rowan Mansfield caught the Mullum defence napping and scooted down the blind side from dummy half to level things up at 4-4.

However the Giants showed why they have had such an impressive start to the season with an excellent try after 25 minutes.

With the team attacking the Ballina line, forward Sean Watkins managed to offload to Tom Gibson, who passed it off to Aidy Gleeson. The big forward did extremely well to attract two defenders and then produce an offload of his own, with the ball going through the hands for Robbie Newton to score in the left corner and make it 8-4.

The Giants would have taken the lead into half time if not for a late Seagulls try, with backrower Jordan Lee breaking through some flimsy defence to score under the sticks and take a 10-8 lead into the break.

While the first half was an arm-wrestle, the Seagulls began to assert their dominance in the second, with five tries blowing the Giants out of the water.

It started just seven minutes after the break, with Mansfield crossing for his double in the right corner after a quick play the ball helped create an overlap.

Five-eighth Hamish McClintock and backrower Ethan Roberts then scored in quick succession, before tries to Caleb Kinna and a late effort to Fred Pitt put the icing on top for the Seagulls, who following Bilambil’s loss to Northern United, remain the only undefeated team in the competition.

Ballina 40 def Mullumbimby 8

Raiders win tight affair over Bombers

Tweed Coast has bounced back from a disappointing derby loss to Cudgen by beating Evans Head 24-18 at Les Burger Field.

In a tight match where the lead changed several times, it was Tweed Coast’s goalkicking that ultimately got them over the line after both teams scored four tries each.

It was the perfect start for the home side, with Evans Head fumbling a cross field kick and the Raiders pouncing on the ball to score from close range after just three minutes.

Evans Head hit back 10 minutes later when an offload from Josh Beech helped create an overlap out wide for winger Brandon Anderson who dummied to kick before stepping inside the Raiders fullback to score and make it 6-4.

The Bombers then took the lead midway through the half when Roy Bell put in a clever grubber from dummy half for his centre to dive on the ball and score.

The Tweed Coast Raiders bounced back after last week’s derby loss to Cudgen. Photo: Max Ellis

From here it was a case of the teams going blow for blow, with Drew Lanston crossing for Tweed Coast after a nice decoy run, before Evans Head hit back on the stroke of half time with a lovely cut-out ball from halfback Trevor Bolt creating an overlap for Anderson to grab his double and give the Bombers a 14-12 lead at the break.

However it was the Raiders who emerged stronger in the second, with a line break from fullback Juwaan Terekia helping to set up his team to score under the posts. Meanwhile the home side edged further ahead with 20 to go after they jumped on a well-weighted grubber to lead 24-14.

And while Anderson kept the Bombers in it with his third for the day, Tweed Coast held on for the victory.

Tweed Coast 24 def Evans Head 18

Magpies hold on against fast-finishing Mustangs

Lower Clarence has continued its strong run of form with a 28-22 victory over the Mustangs in Murwillumbah.

A five-try burst either side of half time ultimately set up the victory for the Magpies, who were forced to hold out a late Mustangs comeback to claim the two points.

The home side opened the scoring after young centre Matt Bollard backed up on the inside after a break down the right flank to lead 6-0.

However from here the Magpies took control, scoring the next five tries to take a stranglehold on the match.

It started with centre Tyler Essex, who made a nice break down the right edge to levels scores, while a Caleb Williams intercept and 60-metre run towards the tryline gave the Magpies a 12-6 lead.

The away side continued their strong run towards the back end of the half, with a lovely cut-out ball from Vincent Williams putting Tye Eamens-Gardiner away to score in the 33rd minute, while Essex powered his way over for a double on the stroke of half time.

The momentum continued into the second half when Williams took advantage of a Brian Quinlan-Randall break to squeeze past some defenders, before showing enough strength to reach out and plant the ball down for a 28-6 lead.

While Magpies appeared to be running riot, the Mustangs launched a stirring comeback with three converted tries making for a nervy finish. However Lower held on for their third victory of the season.

It was a good reward for the Magpies, who last week pushed defending premiers Bilambil all the way, onto to lose 24-22 thanks to a Tyson Donnelly try at the death.

Lower Clarence 28 def Murwillumbah 22

Red Devils in huge form reversal

Byron Bay has bounced back from its 58-0 thrashing last week at the hands of Evans Head to defeat Marist Brothers 38-20 at home.

A hat-trick to young halfback Jesse Soric highlighted the win as the Red Devils ran in eight tries to four to claim the two points.

The Lismore side started the brighter of the two and opened the scoring after eight minutes when a clever Walter Kelly grubber found Andrew Ferguson-Fitzgerald in the corner.

Six minutes later they were in again when Mitchell Krause made a break before finding Campbell Harvey in support to give the Rams a 10-0 lead.

The Red Devils could well have thought that they were in for another long day, however a length-of-the-field try helped the side regather their composure as they scored the next four straight to take control of the game.

With Marist Brothers attacking the Byron Bay line, Byron winger Ethan Coldwell-Jackey picked up a loose pass just a couple of metres out from his own line and took off up field. As the Rams defenders started to chase him down, the winger put on a step to evade them and score in the exact opposite corner of the field.

From here, the Red Devils scored through Josh French and Soric to take a 16-10 lead into half time.

It continued after the break, with Soric stepping past the Rams’ defence to go in again in the 46th minute.

And while Krause hit back shortly after to bring the scores back to 22-16, Byron once again took control to outscore Marist Brothers four tries to one in the final stages – including Soric’s third – to claim the comfortable victory.

Byron Bay 38 def Marist Brothers 20