The 2026 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League finals series played at Coonabarabran on Saturday produced two high quality and closely fought matches with both going down to the wire.
Coolah Flyers and Narromine Jets got things underway with the League Tag Qualifying Final in what turned out to be a thrilling affair, with the Flyers looking like they would run away with it after establishing a 20-4 lead at half-time.
However, the Jets rebounded in the second half and with five minutes to go they were well in the match trailing 26-16.
The 10-point deficit was reduced to just four points when the Jets scored a converted try two minutes from full-time but they were unable to find one more as the clock wound down.
They will now head to sudden death games, whilst the Flyers will be playing in the Major Semi-final against Dunedoo Swannettes on Saturday in Cobar.
That game set the tone for an epic and memorable first grade game between Coonabarabran Unicorns and Coolah Kangaroos
With player numbers depleted due to injury, the Unicorns interchange bench was sparsely populated with the Kangaroos looking strong after taking an 18-8 lead at half-time.
That lead evaporated after the break with the momentum shifting to the Unicorns, and with two converted tries to their fullback and Player of the Match Josh Nixon, the home side took the lead 20-18 with 26 minutes remaining in the game.
Despite their limited bench numbers, the Unicorns held on to record a gutsy win after what was a high standard and thoroughly entertaining game of Castlereagh Rugby League.
They now face the daunting task of trying to upset the Cobar Roosters at Cobar next Saturday in the Major Semi-final.
The weather and the football played on Sunday at Dunedoo in the Elimination Final between Dunedoo Swans and Narromine Jets was tough going, with the constant rain and bitterly cold conditions not being conducive to free-flowing football.
With a half-time lead of 20-6, the Swans looked as if they would record a sizeable win but with the difficult conditions affecting the standard of handling by both sides, the second half fell away as they carved out a 26-10 victory.
The win keeps their season alive with their next assignment being on Sunday when they take the short trip up to Coolah to take on the Kangaroos in the sudden death Minor Semi-final.
The League Tag fixture at Dunedoo saw Cobar Roosterettes finish strongly in their game against the Gulgong Terriers to come away with a 34-16 win after the scoreboard read 20-16 with only ten minutes remaining in the match.
Click here for all finals results from the Christie and Hood Castlereagh League.
