Despite the chilly wind, the sun was out and with the junior football taking place earlier it made for a great full day of footy for Bombala.

With a number of starting players unable to take the field for the Blue Heelers it was always going to be a tough task for the relatively new side. The High Heelers were keen to continue to show the form they know they are capable of before meeting the top of the table teams during the back half of the competition.

High Heelers

The girls started off strong, with a well placed ball from Monique Ingram hitting a steaming Tash Stewart (sponsored by C & G Hood) as she ran the hole, finding space to speed away and put the first 4 points on the board early for the Heelers.

From here though the Heelers seemed to again put undue pressure on themselves with unforced errors and back to back sets in defense.

The injection of captain Maree Coates gave the girls additional go-forward and helped strengthen their line in defense however the Eden side was certainly not afraid to get physical and on two quick occasions they muscle their way through the Bombala line and the Heelers found themselves behind on the scoreboard.

Just prior to half time it was the hard line running of Chloe Hodak (sponsored by Lou Lous) who was able to break through the Eden line, unlucky not to score herself, however the very next play saw some classy ball handling and a precision inside ball from Emma Sullivan (sponsored by DF&D Stewart) to a steaming Maree Coates was never going to fail, Maree (sponsored by Dommo’s Shearing) bagged her first of the day, however with an unsuccessful conversion attempt the girls went in at half time behind on the scoreboard 12-10.

With the girls running back out at half time determined to muscle up against the physical Eden line-up, they were focused on not letting the Tigrettes dictate the rest of the game.

And focused they were. From the kick-off a brilliant display of individual skill and technique shown again by the Heelers’ captain Maree Coates saw her break the line, weaving and twisting through a mount of defenders, only to meet the Eden full back where she chipped the ball deep in behind the defender to run through and re-gather the ball to score her second of the day only seconds into the second half.

This seemed to be the game changer the girls needed. Only minutes later the High Heelers were in again through Tash Stewart, again linking up with Monique Ingram (sponsored by Fortitude Physiotherapy), Tash sped away to bag her second of the day as well.

Momentum seemed to be shifting the Heelers way, strength out wide was evident through the solid tagging and hard line running of Kayla Jamieson (sponsored by D&L High Country Earthworks) and Kaylee Keavey (sponsored by Palarang Organic Meats). Keiarna Rodwell played another solid game injecting herself into the game at vital times and becoming a pivotal role in the Heelers’ kicking game.

The Eden side did not lay down though and it took strong efforts in defense particularly from Abbey Ingram, Sue Morgan, Sam Ingram and Trina Brownlie up the middle to stop them from scoring.

It wasn’t long before another break away from Maree Coates saw her off load to a speedy Jane Peadon (sponsored by Bibbenluke Stockhorse Stud) who was over to add more points for the Heelers.

Lucy Sellars (sponsored by Bendoc Parkpoll Hereford Stud) showed impressive footwork to dart through the defensive line to bag her own four pointer also.

The injection of Rebecca Richardson (sponsored by Hands on Bitz & Pizzas) and Janine Jamieson (sponsored by Jamieson Bros Sawmill) gave additional strength out wide as their fresh legs were added to the field.

The High Heelers, breaking away on the score board, conceded only one more try in the game right before full time taking the score to 30-14 in the home teams favour.

Three points was awarded to the classy Jane Peadon whose defense was imperative to the win and whose speed and foot work left defenders out on their feet. Two points went to the ever reliable captain Maree Coates showing her diversity to play anywhere on the park but still dominate. One point went to Lucy Sellars whose strength and footwork up the middle was vital for the Heelers go-forward. Players Player awarded from the players went to Chloe Hodak, for her solid defensive game and hard running line breaks.  

Blue Heelers

Whilst the Heelers starting squad seemed to be missing a few big names, the boys were all set to step up against the Eden squad; the injection of veteran Clay Stewart as 17th man brought much awaited excitement and anticipation from the Heeler boys, knowing his experience and skill would be an invaluable asset to the team.

The Heelers started off slowly, letting Eden dominate the first half, by the 32nd minute the home team were already down by 28 points. However, captain Joe Bobbin (sponsored by G.Moore Concreting) always leading by example stepped up in the 34th minute with a barnstorming run breaking the line to put first points on board for the Heelers.

With Paul Perkins conversion successful, the score at half time was 32-6 with the home side looking at a big task in front of them if they were to bag a win.

As seems tradition for the Bombala teams, the boys stepped up in the second half playing much more structured footy with more solid defensive efforts.

The control from the halves combination was working well with Andrew and Chris Anderson making their mark on the game, with a set play out to the right hand side finding Joe Bobbin with a quick offload to winger Digby Walcott (sponsored by Merimbula Bay Oysters) who had the overlap, the boys were in again in the 52nd minute.

The in-play kicking skill and solid defense injected from Clay Stewart (sponsored by DF&D Stewart) off the bench had obvious impact on the game. It was Digby again who took a perfectly placed high ball from Clay Stewart to bag his second try for the game.

Paul Perkins (sponsored by MCH Welding) continued to gain vital meters for the boys with solid runs from dummy half and defending solidly all game.

Murray Jackson (sponsored by Tiger Bobbin Rustic Creations) out the back in fullback was safe under the high ball and ran the ball back with pace and brute strength again gaining much needed meters for the boys.

Charlie Lomas (sponsored by Lowanna Properties) before sustaining a nasty cut to the forehead, played an outstanding defensive game out wide, so too did the likes of Luke Jamieson, Daniel Douch and Toby Morgan.

Matthew Stone and Andrew Platts worked well to defend the Eden line and take the ball up when needed. Strong hit-ups from Joel Cherry, Paul Gimbert, Slade Newton and Korie Elton also helped the boys get out of their own half.

Unfortunate lapses in defense late in the second half let Eden run in a further three quick tries blowing the eventual final score out to 54-14, in no way reflecting the solid second half effort from the home team.  

Three points for the Blue Heelers went to Digby Walcott stepping up as winger to bag a hat trick of tries; two points went to Murray Jackson for another solid game across the park; and one point went to Andrew Anderson (sponsored by Platypus Crash Repairs) whose ability to direct the boys across the paddock is an absolute asset to the team. Players Player awarded from the players went to Clay Stewart, for bringing much needed skill, experience, direction and motivation to the team.

The Bombala teams welcome the long weekend as a bye round to rest up injuries and give the chance to get all players back on the field fit and raring to go the next weekend to take on the Bega Roosters and Chicks at Bega for Round 10.

The Bombala District Rugby League Football Club again would like to thank their sponsors; Bombala RSL Club, Peter Caldwell Building & Contracting Pty Ltd, Ron Milliner Earthmoving, RAW Strength Bombala, Dongwah, Bob Stewart, Our Local IGA, Pat Lomas and Imperial Hotel Bombala.