NRRRL: Kyogle Turkeys break eight-year opening round hoodoo

It might only have been round one but there was plenty to cheer about for Kyogle as it snapped an eight-year hoodoo in the NRRRL.

Kyogle broke an eight-year hoodoo in round one. Picture: DC Sports Photography

There were more than a few funny moments as the Kyogle Turkeys gathered in their dressing shed to celebrate the team’s 24-18 win over the Lower Clarence Magpies in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) competition on Sunday afternoon.

With the players huddled together, caked in sweat and mud, there was plenty of lip-synching and some cautionary glances thrown around the room as the Turkeys belted out their club song.

“I’ll tell you right now, after we sang the song the boys were writing that night saying, ‘Can someone put the lyrics in the group chat, please? Because we didn’t know what we were doing?’” laughed coach Shane Robinson.

For a team that has collected three wooden spoons in a row and won just two games over that period, the victory did more than just lift spirits – it also snapped an almost decade-long drought, with the Turkeys winning their opening game of the season for the first time in eight years.

“I’m super happy and proud of them,” said Robinson. “But it’s only round one and we’re all looking forward to round two and getting better as a group.”

The Turkeys defeated Lower Clarence 24-18 at home. Picture: DC Sports Photography

In what was a typical early-season contest, Kyogle started brightly and raced out to a 14-0 lead at the break before holding off a late Lower fightback to run out six-point winners.

“Honestly, I think both teams could have been a lot better. Being round one, not a lot of combinations were working for everyone but it was a tough game,” said Robinson.

“In patches we were very, very good and when we can learn to play 80 minutes or even put a 60- or 70-minute performance on the board we’ll see how far along we can go in the comp. But there are definitely lots of positive signs, for sure.”

One of those positives was the team’s ability to throw the ball around in attack, with the Turkeys putting on some razzle dazzle footy at stages and running in three long-range tries, much to the delight of the home crowd at New Park.

“The young fellas out on the edges did really well. Young winger Clayton Guiney got a hat-trick and he was on the end of some really good stuff inside of him,” said Robinson.

“But I’m really happy for him, he’s had a really good pre-season, young Clayton. He’s definitely got some wheels. One of the quickest I’ve seen for a while and he’s got a very good attitude, so you can’t have much more than that.”

While not looking too far ahead, the coach hopes that the round one triumph – supported by the addition of some serial winners from the Gold Coast A-grade competition – can lead to a change in fortunes for Kyogle.

“Winning and losing is very similar: once you’ve got it, it’s hard to lose or break it. These poor guys have been losing and losing for so long and we might have broken that curse a little bit. It’s definitely put a spring in the step for this week against Northern (United), which will be very tough.

It was the team’s first win since round 14 last year against Casino. Picture: DC Sports Photography

“But winning is the same: when you’re on a winning streak and you keep winning games, it sort of comes a bit naturally and even when you’re not playing at your best you still seem to win games.”

As for the players, despite an early taste of victory they’re also not getting too carried away with themselves, desperate for another chance to nail the team song.

“We didn’t want the scoreline to be that close. I know it’s good to get the win but there was a little bit of a hollow feeling. I had some really good messages and feedback from the boys saying, ‘I’m happy we got the win, coach, but I’ll be better next week,’” said Robinson.

“And that’s what you want: guys that want to get better each week. They’re very, very happy to get the win but you can tell they want to be better again.”