It was a bittersweet final round for the Forbes Magpies on August 30 at Spooner Oval, with both Reserve Grade and the Under 18s teams getting pushed out of the Premiership competition by Dubbo Macquarie.

The Under 18s were beaten on the bell with Macquarie breaking a 14-all stalemate with a try in the final minute, taking the win with the final score at 20-14. The Reserve Grade team bowed out of the race with a 2 point loss in extra time. The final score was 18-16, a disappointing loss for  the Magpies.

Both of the teams did Forbes proud and were gracious in defeat after a huge effort in the 2015 season.

Good luck to the Macquarie Raiders and Parkes Spacemen as they head into the Grand Final next weekend.

It wasn’t their prettiest win of the season, but the Magpies were able to hold onto fourth position on the ladder on Sunday when they defeated Dubbo Macquarie Raiders 32-20. The win keeps the Magpies in the hunt for a top three finish, and gives the team high hopes for their game against the Parkes Spacemen this Sunday.

With the Magpies resting a few key players, including Ben Maguire and Matt Roylance in preparation for the local derby against the Spacemen this weekend, they had to pull out all stops against Macquarie, who were coming off a heated 32-30 win against Westside the previous week. Macquarie started well getting the first points on the board when Steven Leask crossed out wide in the first 3 minutes, taking them to a 4-0 lead.

That would be the only time Macquarie led the entire game however, with Magpies Captain-Coach Zac Merritt making a strong break through the centre to score just outside the posts and a successful conversion from Hayden Bolam, followed quickly by another from in-form lock, Ethan Gaffney, who was named the Magpies best player on the day.

Some fancy footwork from Kyle Baxter saw the Magpies increase the Margin and take a 16-4 lead into halftime. Early in the second half, Macquarie’s Claude Gordon crossed for a four pointer narrowing the gap to 16-10, but momentum and smarter football with tries to Joel Davie and Tys Reweti saw the Magpies stretch their lead and walk away with the win.

It was a big day for the Magpies, who earlier took out under-18s by 22-12 before their reserve grade side battled bravely with 12 men for the final stages of the match but still managed to grab a gutsy 20-18 win, confirming both teams as 2015 Minor Premiers. “The Reserve Grade win was one of the best I have seen in some time,” Magpies Club President Greg Grogan said. “They were effectively down to 10 men, two of them just managed to stay on the field to make up the numbers, it was a huge effort”.

The Magpies encourage everyone to head over to Spooners Oval this Sunday to support the Magpies in the highly anticipated Local Derby against the Parkes Spacemen this Sunday, which is also The Magpies Old Boys Day and Sponsors Day. Gates open from 10:30, with League Tag the first game of the day kicking off at 11am.

In a disappointing turn for local football fans, the Forbes Magpies have slipped to fourth place on the Group 11 Rugby League Ladder following a 32-26 loss to the Wellington Cowboys last weekend. In their earlier games, the Magpies had proved unbeatable. They had convincing wins in the women’s League Tag tournament, and the Under 18s and Reserve grades are sitting pretty in first place on the ladder with only two rounds remaining before the semi-finals begin.

Unfortunately, the Magpies’ First Grade team were forced to work much harder in their match s the game was a crucial “mustwin” tournament for both teams who were jostling for third position on the ladder. Running out to the tough Kennard Park crowd, the Cowboys took the leader quite early, crossing over with a quick succession of tries.
The Magpies were not to be deterred though, and their forwards pack led the charge back up through the middle of the paddock with the strong forwards pack gaining much needed distance for the Forbes team. This gave Ethan Gaffney the chance to get some points on the board for the Magpies.

The momentum swung the Magpies way with Rusiate Luwanikula crossing out wide. But it wasn’t quite enough with the Cowboys so thirsty for the win. The contest was tough and there was plenty on the line; out came the hard hits and the ugly niggles. The contest in the ruck resulted in a blow for Forbes with Zac Merritt sent off the field
for 10 after a contentious tackle. The Magpies were a man down and Wellington took the advantage. The Cowboys were able to score another two tries before the half-time siren sounded, taking them into the break with a 12 point lead.

The Magpies were desperate to get back into the game as they returned from the sheds after the break, sending Jake Grace, Joel Davie and Ben Robinson all over for tries. Hooker Hayden Bolam was successful in converting three of the five opportunities but fate was already sealed, with the Cowboys walking away with the win. The final score of
the game was 32-26.

This weekend the Magpies are looking to take back the two points they’ve just lost by heading to Caltex Oval in Dubbo to take on the 7th placed Dubbo Macquarie Raiders. This will be another very important game for
the Forbes side if they are hoping to remain in the top four teams in the competition.

The Raiders were unable to field a League Tag side so the first fixture of the day will be the Under 18s team, kicking off at 11:30am. On the following weekend, the Magpies will host the Parkes Spacemen at Spooners Oval in a much anticipated local derby. Get out there and show your support for
the team.

The formidable Forbes Magpies faced off against the Cobar Roosters on Saturday July 18. The First Grade team put on a powerful show and won their game with a score of 56-32. The League Tag team had a tight match, but won the day with a score of 14-12. The Reserves won their game with a score of 44-14 and the Under 18s team had a bye.

FORBES Magpies have continued their strong run in the Group 11 Rugby League competition with convincing wins on the road last Saturday in all three grades against Narromine.

The Firsts won 40-16, with second-rower Ben McGuire scoring three tries. The side remains in third place on the competition ladder, behind Parkes and Dubbo CYMS. The Reserves won 30-6, while the Under 18s toppled Narromine 48-8. Both teams remain on top of their respective ladders.

But there are some tough days ahead for the Magpies. Next weekend they’re at home against Cobar, who shouldn’t provide too many obstacles in any of the three grades. But after that there are road trips to Wellington and then to Dubbo to face Macquarie and those will be much tougher asks.

It’s starting to look like a wonderful season for the Forbes Magpies in the Group 11 rugby league competition, with the Reserve Grade and Under 18 sides both sitting on top of their ladders and the First Grade team coming
third. The situation was reinforced last Sunday by dominant performances at home against Nyngan.

The First Grade side won 31-12, and sits on 18 points behind Dubbo CYMS and Parkes. They have to keep winning, though, to stay ahead of Wellington and Dubbo Westside. The Reserves won 40-22, putting them on top of the ladder with 22 points, just ahead of Dubbo CYMS and Dubbo Westside on 20. The Under 18s scored plenty of points to easily account for the Nyngan lads 42-14.

They sit at the head of the table on 23 points, ahead of Wellington, Parkes, Dubbo CYMS and Dubbo Macquarie in an extremely tight race. All three teams play the Cobar Roosters next Sunday at Larkin Oval, Cobar.

Sydney Western Suburbs prop forward Noel Kelly, one of the toughest men ever to pull on a rugby league jersey, once described what it was like playing the invincible St George Dragons in the days of unlimited tackles. “For the first half, they’d let you have the ball and just beat you up,” he said. “Then, after half-time, they’d take the ball and score as many times as they wanted. Simple as that.”

One of the hardest nails in that Dragons pack was the late Parkes, Forbes and Eugowra hooker Ian Walsh, who rose to captain both St George and his country. Walsh would have certainly approved of the way that the NSW tough men laid the groundwork for a memorable victory against Queensland in this year’s second State of Origin match, and he’ll be crawling out of his grave to watch a repeat performance from the Blues forwards in the series decider in Brisbane next Wednesday.

It was a mixed day for the Forbes Magpies when they hosted Dubbo CYMS at Spooner Oval last Sunday with the Reserves and the Under 18s winning 22-18 and 28-12 respectively, but the Firsts going down 36-28. The Magpies let a few chances slip but in the end the size and pace of the well oiled CYMS outfit won the day and took them to
the top of the Group XI First Grade ladder, replacing Parkes who were beaten 48-36 by Dubbo Westside. Forbes remains in third position on the ladder.

In other First Grade matches, Narromine trounced Cobar Roosters 58-10 while Wellington won a much closer contest 32-24 against Dubbo Macquarie. The win by Magpies Reserves took them to the top of the ladder, replacing CYMS. The Under 18s maintained their position as competition leaders. Next Sunday the three Magpies sides will be at home again, this time against Nyngan.