By Bryson Luff
It has been a long time since Gulargambone has hosted a distinguished game of Rugby League but that will change this Sunday when the Galahs face off against the Walgett Dragons to decide which will be the first team to hold aloft the Castlereagh Community Cup.
Their two meetings thus far this season have resulted in a 14-all draw being played out at Walgett whilst the Galahs registered a 40-22 win when the two sides met at Gular in the return match.
The grand final will kick off at 1.00pm with substantial crowd expected to pack into the Gulargambone ground to witness what should be a hard-fought game between the top two sides in the inaugural year of the competition.
The day before the big game at Gular Round Two of the 2026 Castlereagh League competition will be played with some great games on offer.
The match of the round will be played at Tom Knight Oval in Cobar with the Roosters hosting the reigning premiers, the Coolah Kangaroos, and whilst it was a couple of years ago the home side will be out to seek revenge for their home ground loss to the ‘Roos in 2024 grand final.
Cobar is the only side to have defeated Coolah in the past two years, that being in the 2024 preliminary final and they will be keen to get a similar outcome this time around against the visitors who are coming off a close call against the Narromine Jets in round one, a game that resulted in a 30-all draw, a result that will give the Roosters plenty of confidence going into the game.
The Jets will be buoyed by their effort against Coolah when they head to Dunedoo to take on the Swans in what should be an entertaining affair.
Whilst Dunedoo did get a win over the Coonamble Bears in round one, they would be looking to strengthen their defensive structures after letting the Grizzlies in for six tries in their 42-36 win.
The first-grade game will be preceded by the league tag clash between the Swannettes and Jets with the games between these two sides producing some classic matches in recent times and it is one eagerly awaited by supporters of both clubs.
Archrivals Coonamble and Gilgandra will once again come to grips when they meet at Coonamble. The Bears are prone to throw the ball around and have the ability to score some scintillating tries, and whilst the Panthers would be well pleased with their win over the Baradine Magpies in Round One, they will need to be at their defensive best to contain the Bears on their home track.
First round losers the Baradine Magpies and Gulgong Bull Terriers will meet in an important game for both teams at Baradine.
The Magpies were well in their Round One game against Gilgandra at half-time, but faded somewhat in the second stanza, whilst conversely the Terriers were well behind at the break in their match against the Coonabarabran Unicorns, but despite losing the game they certainly played strongly in the final 40 minutes which augers well for them and serves as a warning to the Magpies.
The final game sees the Unicorns on the road again, this time to take on the Warren Bulldogs at Warren, with the home side looking to bounce back from their sizeable loss to Cobar, whilst the Unicorns will be looking for an 80-minute effort after their second half scare against Gulgong.
Click here for results and fixtures from the Castlereagh League.
