SPORT
with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
sport@oclife.com.au
Shootout loss ends Barnies Premier League campaign Barnstoneworth’s incredible season came to an end last Saturday at a wet Jack Brabham Park. Kicking goals for girls, opening of new men’s and women’s change rooms at Blayney’s King George Oval with Deputy Mayor, Councillor David Somervaille; Andrew Gee; Blayney Netball Club members; and Shire councillors and staff.
Parkes Cobras beat United 5-3 on penalties, setting a date with Panorama FC in this weekend’s grand final qualifier. Both teams came into this do-ordie clash with strong momentum, guaranteeing an exciting contest for the neutrals. After clinching a 1-0 victory against Dubbo Bulls, Barnies had to face a resilient Parkes side who stunned Bathurst ‘75 in an epic penalty shootout at Proctor Park.
NEW SHEDS KICKING GOALS FOR GIRL’S SPORT AT OLD-STYLE FOOTY GROUND The explosion in girls participation and enjoyment of previously male-dominated sports, has proven one of the positive health and fitness trends in recent years. Facilities reflecting this new reality though, have been slow to catch up with new change room facilities at Blayney’s old-style footy field, King George Oval, a step in the right direction. Federal Member, Andrew Gee and Blayney Shire Deputy Mayor, Councillor David Somervaille as well as female representatives from local sporting groups, were recently on-hand to check out new male and female changerooms at the picturesque 1950s facility. Construction of the new changerooms was made possible via a Building Better Regions Funding Grant from the Federal Government and includes
new home and away change rooms which have both male and female sections, as well as accessible toilets. The old change rooms have also been refurbished to be used as change rooms for referees with separate rooms for males and females, with a medical room and additional storage. Cr Somervaille said although the project had delays due to COVID, floods and building material shortages, it is a muchneeded addition to the facilities at King George Oval and the future of women’s sport. “These change rooms will allow for women’s sport in Blayney to grow, now that the facilities appropriately cater for female sporting teams,” he said. Mr Gee agreed, adding: “Everyone should be
encouraged and supported to give the sport they love their best shot, and everyone, whether having a kick around Blayney’s King George Oval, or competing at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, deserves appropriate change, shower and toilet facilities. “Dedicated women’s changerooms reduce barriers to sport, and create a safe, inclusive environment for all. That’s why it’s fantastic that, for the first time, Blayney’s King George Oval now features fit-for-purpose women’s change room facilities!” Mr Gee said the project will influence a new wave of young girls and women into local sport, increase retention levels, and enable more sports carnivals to be held at the oval - which bring hundreds of visitors, and their dollars, to the town!”
The Barnies-Parkes elimination final looked like it was going to get postponed last Saturday morning because of the heavy rain, but the officials pressed on with the decision to play this vital game. Despite the extreme wet conditions, both sides produced some quality football for the few brave spectators at the Bernie Stedman field and the online viewers watching the live stream on Facebook. Barnies and Parkes played on the front foot in the contest’s opening exchanges with their high-press systems. But after some end-to-end action, the Cobras struck first blood off a free-kick in the 22nd minute. A long delivery found one of their towering strikers in the box, who connected with a header to glide the ball over Barnstoneworth’s keeper. From this point on, the visitors started to dominate the possession in the middle of the park and created more goal-scoring chances in the final third. With this added pressure, Parkes eventually doubled their lead 10 minutes later when their midfield playmaker, with the help of some deflections, struck a powerful shot outside the 18-yard box and into the goal. The hosts were in real trouble, staring at an early exit from the competition. But, despite the Cobras looking comfortable, Barnies somehow pegged a goal back in the 40th minute when Jarvis Marat got on the end of a through-ball and tucked a shot into the bottomright corner. Then, with the rain easing and the sun peeking out, United began playing with more conviction. With the Parkes backline still reeling
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from their conceded goal, Barnies immediately charged up the field from the restart and almost scored a second. Kenny McCall thought he’d levelled the game with his thunderous shot from close-range, but a fantastic save from the Cobras goalkeeper was enough to keep the scoreline at 2-1 going into the break. After the interval, Barnies ramped up their attack to chase that crucial equaliser to keep their season alive. The red-and-whites were pressing high and producing numerous turnovers in the centre of the pitch, keeping the Cobras in their half. Eventually, the home side found the equaliser in the 76th minute when Kenny McCall pounced on the opposition goalkeeper’s poor clearance and launched his shot into the bottom-left corner to make it 2-2. Barnstoneworth tried to push for a late winner in the last 10 minutes of regular time, but the increasing showers made conditions near unplayable. All the players struggled with grip and couldn’t string together more than one pass with the worsening wet weather. With both sides unable to launch any attacks and build up a series of passes, the contest went into 30 minutes of extra time. Under the terrible conditions, both sides played a reserved style of football to avoid any mistakes. In the end, only a penalty shootout could separate these two teams, and for Parkes, this was familiar territory after they previously knocked out Bathurst ‘75 in a shootout. The Cobras started the shootout proceedings, coolly dispatching their first shot into the net. Kenny McCall stepped up next but failed to convert from the spot after his skied attempt. Although Barnies soon scored three consecutive penalties, Parkes successfully converted all their five attempts to complete a famous victory by the finest of margins. It was not the result Barnies wanted, but the players and coaching staff can still be proud of producing plenty of entertaining football this season. The red-and-whites would have certainly liked to get their hands on the trophy in the same year as their 25th anniversary, but it looks like that elusive silverware will have to wait a little longer.
SPORT
with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO | photos HENRY DEROOY
BARRACKER THE
Eternal merry-go-round of international sport eligibility One of the most moving sporting spectacles I ever witnessed, was in the unlikeliest of settings. How’s this for a minor sporting event? A match between France and Scotland at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, played in the ACT’s rather soulless Canberra Stadium. Yet the two national anthems played in front of the half-full stands, La Marseillaise for France, and Scotland the Brave, for “The Bravehearts”, touched everyone who was there. With the Australian Football League recently signing a $4.5 billion television rights deal signalling their local dominance, one area that the three other football codes can gain a competitive advantage, is in international competition. With the pandemic-delayed Rugby League World Cup in a few weeks, with its larger rugby equivalent held next year, that curse of international sport, qualification criteria, has, however, again come to the fore. Who is qualified to play for which country, and how much do players really invest in playing for teams of which they have only tenuous family and historical links? Following this year’s scintillating State of Origin rugby league series, the New Zealand-born Wallabies coach, Dave Rennie, damned the rival rugby code with faint praise. Yes, it was a great spectacle, he said, but for a sport with such a tiny international footprint, this is the best they’ve got. “There’s amazing depth in that sport in this country… It’s not massive in New Zealand, it’s northern England, it’s barely played in France,” he sneered. “You go to a World Cup, and Australian guys play for Lebanon or the island teams and that sort of thing.” Rennie, of course, was drawing the common argument of the rugby elite, that international rugby league is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. This argument seemed to gain weight when it was announced this year that players who took part in the State of Origin series, would be allowed to play for their “home” countries in the World Cup, if they wished. Blues players with Pacific islander backgrounds, Jarome Luai, Brian To’o as well as Daniel Tupou, have all now pledged to play for the nations of their ancestors. But if playing for your country is the greatest honour that any sportsman or woman can imagine, people say, then how do they allow players whose grandparents came from a country, to play for that team? It’s not just in rugby league, though, one of the sneaky little secrets of the mighty All Blacks, is the number of young Pacific Islander footballers, who get spotted in their teens and move to New Zealand to play rugby, many of whom end up in the New Zealand national side. The English cricket team in 2012, had a total of four players from South Africa — captain Andrew Strauss, middle-order batsmen, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen, and keeper, Matt Prior — 20 years earlier, a total of seven players had been born overseas. Even in that greatest of international sports, football (soccer), players often represent countries with which they have only tenuous links; Nigeria, in one World Cup match a few years ago, had not one player who was actually from the giant of north Africa. Almost all sports with international competition, have developed complex selection criteria about who can play for which country based on family ties, residency, which country candidates have professional links with, and the personal preference of each individual player. One wonders, why international sports do not simply go for the simplest criteria of all, whose country is on your birth certificate or passport, is the nation that you represent.
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ORANGE CITY LIFE | SEPTEMBER 15 — 21, 2022
sport@oclife.com.au
sport@oclife.com.au
SPORT
with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO | photos HENRY DEROOY
WARATAHS ADVANCE TO WPL GRAND FINAL Waratahs have booked their spot in the 2022 Western Premier League grand final after clinching a 3-2 victory against Panorama last Sunday. As a result, not only will the Tahs have a bye this weekend, but they will also host the big dance on September 25. Panorama beat the Tahs 2-0 earlier in the year, while the North Orange side defeated the Goats 2-1 last month. So nothing seemed to separate both of these sides as they entered this preliminary final clash to secure a direct spot in the big dance. As usual, Waratahs got off to a fine start through their smooth passing in the midfield and rapid counter-attacks. In the ninth minute, the hosts opened the scoring after a high press by Guy Burgess allowed a teammate to get a shot on goal with a lucky deflection off Craig Sugden. Following the opening goal, the Tahs took their game up a couple of gears through their ability to close the space in the middle of the pitch and feed dangerous through-balls to their strikers. The hosts doubled their lead in the 33rd minute after a long delivery from the back hit an opposition defender, who deflected it into his net. It looked like the Sky Blues were going to walk into halftime with a commanding 2-0 lead, but Panorama had other ideas. The Bathurst side halved the deficit a minute later, creating a series of passes to put it on a plate for their striker to tap it past the Tahs keeper. Suddenly, the game had a different tone and an added level of excitement going into the second half.
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After the break, Waratahs kept venturing forward with more fluidity and intelligent runs on the flanks, creating devastating counter-attacks for the Panorama backline. With the travelling side under the pump and heavily occupied in defending their goal-line, their attack had little to offer in most of the second half. As Adam Scimone’s men looked to be closing in on a victory, Panorama started throwing more bodies forward to chase an equaliser. Pushing forward and taking more risks, the Goats eventually found a second goal off a free-kick in the 82nd minute to level things up. The goal came from some scrambling Waratahs defence before a Panorama forward at the back post buried his shot into the net. At 2-2, it seemed inevitable that this contest would require extra time. With Panorama looking to spoil the party at the Waratahs Sports Ground, the Tahs’ hopes of hosting a home grand final were hanging by a thread. But, just as both sides looked to be preparing for an extra 30 minutes of football, Waratah’s Bastian Fougerolle came up with the goods in stoppage time to send the home crowd into euphoria. The French left-back latched on to a loose ball outside the 18-yard box and drove home a stunning shot that sailed into the net. Fougerolle’s goal was enough to propel the Waratahs into the 2022 Western Premier League grand final, sending Panorama into another qualifier with an in-form Parkes Cobras this weekend.
AROUNDTHEGROUNDS with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
sport@oclife.com.au
Junior Rugby League Finals Action A host of Orange CYMS and Bloomfield Tigers’ sides took part in the Group 10 Junior Rugby League grand finals in Mudgee last weekend. The footy talent coming through the local junior ranks, was exciting to see!
Orange CYMS In the U11s all-CYMS showdown, CYMS Gold clinched a 6-0 victory against CYMS Green to secure the premiership. Congratulations to team Gold! On a side note, it was amazing to see both sets of players sing the club song together at the end of the game. The U13 CYMS Green fell short in the grand final, losing 12-4 against the Bathurst Panthers.
Bloomfield Tigers Both the U14s and U15s Bloomfield Tigers lost their grand final battles. The U14s side were beaten 28-20 by the Mudgee Dragons before the U15 Tigers were defeated 20-12 against St Johns Gold. In good news, Bloomfield Tigers secured the U16s premiership, beating Mudgee Dragons 12-0. Congratulations to the U16s Tigers!
Junior League Tag: U17s CYMS Gold claim Group 10 League Tag Premiership CYMS Gold won the U17s League Tag premiership after a dominant 36-8 victory against St Pat’s at Carrington Park. Team Gold ended the 2022 season undefeated, an impressive record to cap off their silverware success.
Senior Netball Finals Action
DIVISION 1 NETBALL — PHOTOS BY CEC TILBURG —
DIVISION 1: Vipers defeat OHS Hornets to book spot in grand final A refocused Vipers outfit successfully passed their preliminary final test against OHS Hornets with a 50-30 win. After losing to minor premiers Orange City Netball Club’s the “Craig Harvey Mechanical” the previous week, the Vipers had to do it the hard way, facing a tough Hornets side. In the end, the Vipers were too strong for the former Division One premiers. The Vipers will meet Orange City Netball Club’s “Craig Harvey Mechanical” once again in the 2022 finals series but, this time, grand final silverware will be up for grabs. No team has come closer to beating the minor premiers than the Vipers this season, so this Saturday’s battle should be a juicy one. DIVISION 2: LS Sportspower punch their grand final ticket after stunning Hawks LS Sportspower clinched a 45-40 victory against Hawks John Davis Motors in the preliminary final, securing their spot in this weekend’s Division Two grand final. LIFE Studio will take on Orange City Netball Club Whittaker’s Contracting in the big dance. DIVISION 3: Old Ironsides take down Orange City Netball Club Westlime Old Ironsides will play in the grand final after recently beating Orange City Netball Club Westlime 32-18 in the preliminary final. The Ironsides, who won the minor premiership, will be eyeing the top prize when they face Hawks Burson Auto Parts this weekend. DIVISION 4: OCNC Midwest Multimedia pulls off massive upset OCNC Midwest Multimedia have qualified for the grand final after pulling off an incredible 38-33 upset against minor premiers, Hawks Madden Panthers. After finishing in fourth spot by two points, OCNC Midwest Multimedia now have eyes on taking out the grand prize when they face OAGS Smarties in the decider. DIVISION 5: OCNC Orange Tenpin Bowl Tigers power past LIFE STUDIO The OCNC Orange Tenpin Bowl Tigers charged home to convincingly beat LS GOALDIGGERS 50-30 in last Saturday’s grand final qualifier. OCNC Orange Tenpin Bowl Tigers will battle it out for gold with Orange United Ophirettes this weekend.
Wet weather cancels local ODFA football finals Last week’s heavy rain cancelled most of the local football semi-finals and preliminary finals. While all the fields at Jack Brabham Park and Waratahs were underwater last Saturday, many senior footballers are now frustrated that the ODFA won’t reschedule this past round. It’s bizarre that the higher-ranked senior teams in the first, second, third and fourth divisions will advance to the next stage of the finals without winning on the pitch. But, while it is in the ODFA rules that a higher-placed team advances in the event of wet weather cancellations, perhaps the current system needs a review to make it fairer for all teams competing for a trophy.
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ORANGE CITY LIFE | SEPTEMBER 15 — 21, 2022
Last Saturday, Vipers defeated OHS Hornets with a comfortable 20 point margin with the final score 50-30, to secure their spot in this weekend’s grand final against Orange City.