Group 4: Dungowan Cowboys inflict heavy defeat on Narrabri Blues

The Dungowan Cowboys captain-coach made the trip with the rest of the team to take on the Narrabri Blues in Narrabri in the first round of the Group 4 season, and was unsure what to expect after a pair of mixed displays in their trial games.

But after a brief settling period early in the game, the Cowboys found their stride.

"It was better than I was expecting," Jarrett said.

"We were a bit scratchy early on, it took us 20 or 25 minutes to find our rhythm. It was probably a bit of nervousness and lack of patience.

"But once we finally kicked into gear and a few passes went to hand, we got on the board and seemed to tick along."

It was a return to the kind of form that saw the Cowboys through to last year's first grade grand final.

While the first-year coach noted that "everybody played well" across the park, he was particularly pleased to see Dungowan's newest signings settle in quickly.

"Every new recruit that's come in this year has slotted in nicely to the club culture and the way we play footy," Jarrett said.

"It's pleasing to see so far. It's only early days, but it's made my job a lot easier when you've got experienced players coming into the squad."

Former Manilla Tigers captain-coach, Mitch Doring, was a standout with three tries to his name, while Jarrett also praised Jack Cameron, Zac Parker, Cody Byrne, Liam Mack, and Brandon Parry for their contributions.

The higher the score climbed, the happier Jarrett became. However, the biggest surprise of all came with just less than ten minutes to go.

At 66-6, when the margin reached 60 points, the referees called the game to a halt under the mercy rule.

"I wasn't exactly sure what the [required margin] was, but I knew we were getting close," Jarrett said.

"I had heard of the rule before, but never really seen it implemented."

The law in question requires that a game be called off when the score differential reaches 60 points, as stated by the NSW Community Rugby League 2021 Policies and Procedures Manual.

Both teams were eager to play on after that point, however, and so they finished the full 80 minutes but did not record scores, although Dungowan crossed twice more.

It was not the end to the game that Jarrett had envisioned, but he and the Cowboys did not let it detract from their happiness with the win.

"It's just one of those things, we didn't get caught up in it," Jarrett said.

"There's only so much we can do and control. We were just happy we could put the points on the board."

Prior to the first grade clash, Dungowan also got up in reserve grade, 40-12. Their under 18s got the job done in emphatic fashion, 56-18, and their league taggers were too much for the hosts, prevailing 36-6.

The clean sweep was an ideal way to start the season for Dungowan, who play at home this weekend against the Gunnedah Bulldogs.

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