The Wilcannia Boomerangs will trek to Broken Hill ready to tackle the Menindee Yabbies in the 2023 Outback Rugby League (ORL) Grand Final at Memorial Park on Saturday.
The Boomerangs, who only lost one game during the regular season – a 28-26 defeat to Menindee in Round Seven – won the ORL Minor Premiership, earning them direct passage to the Grand Final.
They will take on a Menindee outfit that defeated the Silver City Scorpions 30-8 in a Preliminary Final at Menindee’s Burke Wills Park on Saturday.
Wilcannia coach Owen Whyman said the decider will be a battle between two very different teams.
“The thing about us is that we have a lot of little fellas, and Menindee, they have a big side, and they’ll try and bully us, but for a little side, our defence is good,” he said.
“We’ve shocked them with our defence, and our fellas are not afraid to run that ball up and take it to them.”
Making the Boomerangs’ season all the more incredible is the fact they have played most of the year unable to field a full team, with Whyman explaining that grit and determination have defined their campaign.
“All year, we’ve played with 11 and 12 men and in Round Six, we fielded a full team with a bench, but that was the only time we had a bench,” Whyman said.
“We have a good bunch of fellas that don’t look to the bench either, and every time we run onto that field, we believe we can win, and that's how we've got to approach this Grand Final.”
Whyman, 50, is still playing halfback for the Boomerangs, and the veteran playmaker will line up alongside his sons Tarelle Jones and Owen Whyman Jnr, the latter being captain of the side.
The trio will be looking to lift the trophy for Wilcannia and the memory of their late daughter and sister, Kahlia Joy Blair.
“At the beginning of the season, the Boomerangs were struggling to put a team together, but we got the players, and we’ve only lost one game,” Whyman said.
“I would’ve loved to play alongside my three sons in the Grand Final. Owen and Tarelle will be there – Jamin Jones got injured halfway through the season – but a chance to lift the trophy with my boys at aged 50 will be a dream come true if it happens.
“Plus, my oldest daughter, Kahlia Joy Blair, committed suicide at only 32, and the last time we played was 2021 when she was still involved with the Boomerangs, so this will be for her.”
While the Boomerangs will be up and about for the decider, a physical Menindee Yabbies will take some beating.
When the sides met in Round One, the Boomerangs got up 22-20, with a Jamin Jones double the difference between the two sides.
Wilcannia was a class above Menindee in Round Four, winning 54-20, but the Yabbies had their claws out in Round Seven, taking out that match 28-26 from the Boomerangs.
Coached by Jak Sloane, Menindee have a big pack and energetic bench. They made a statement in their Preliminary Final win over a full-strength Silver City Scorpions after scoring five tries to two in the 30-8 win.
There will be two games in Broken Hill on Saturday, with the Silver City Scorpions and Wilcannia Wildflowers facing off in the women's decider.
The two sides have traded results throughout the two-team competition, but that means nothing on Saturday when they fight for ORL bragging rights.
Kick-off times
ORL Women's Grand Final: 12pm
ORL Men's Grand Final: 1.30pm
