The stage is set for a top-of-the-table showdown to wrap up the Central North women's competition first round after Narrabri notched an "emotional" victory over Pirates in their grand final rematch on Saturday.
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In what was an enthralling contest, Cassidy Morley's late try saw the Blue Boars take the win 14-7 and hold onto top spot on the table heading into the long weekend bye.
Only on points difference though, with Gunnedah, who they are scheduled to play after the bye, also six-from-six.
There was some irony in the final seven point margin on Saturday, being what Pirates won the grand final by last year.
Unsurprisingly the Blue Boars had had one eye on their encounter since the draw was announced.
"We led that grand final last year for a long time and we played bloody good rugby, and I think we probably beat ourselves as much as Pirates beat us," co-coach Mick Coffey said.
"So we were up for it."
![Toni Gale isn't letting Pirates' Jayda Simpson get away. Picture by Gareth Gardner Toni Gale isn't letting Pirates' Jayda Simpson get away. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/91840c9c-195b-40f2-ac16-cba3eddd2c1b.jpg/r0_257_3041_1967_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Post-match the emotions flowed as they remembered former coach Will Guest, who died late last year.
"Guesty" as he was affectionately known was a driving force in getting the women's side to the position they are in now, coaching them from 2020 to last season.
And while they knew before the grand final he wasn't going to be coaching them this season, Coffey said they always thought he'd be in the stands.
He said they didn't speak about it once before the game but as they got in a huddle on the field after the game the tears flowed.
"He's on the back of their jerseys. You look at the logo on everyone's shorts, his initials are in it," he said, the emotion evident in his voice.
"So it was really bloody emotional."
As for the game itself, it was a "very even" contest.
![Pirates' Jacinta Cooper finds a bit of space. Picture by Gareth Gardner Pirates' Jacinta Cooper finds a bit of space. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/619c7455-02e5-46d0-8337-2d55138ba3ce.jpg/r0_0_3231_2448_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"If we had of lost I still wouldn't have been disappointed with the effort," he said.
"There's some days you can lose and be really pissed off. Today wouldn't have been one of them. We would have been beaten by the better team."
He said the result was a good reward for all the hard work they've been putting in.
"We spoke about it just then, we've been doing a lot of work on little one percenters things," Coffey said.
The kind of 'things' that tend to illicit eye rolls.
"But they're now recognising that plus one, plus one a bunch of times adds up to 20 per cent," he said.
"And if you're playing at 80 per cent that gets you to 100."
Scone made it two on the trot with a 41-5 win over Barraba in the other game that was played with Quirindi forfeiting to Moree.
TABLE: Narrabri 39 (+222), Gunnedah 39 (+170), Moree 30 (-40), Pirates 28 (236), Scone 22 (-55), Barraba 16 (-192), Inverell 15 (-265), Quirindi 13 (-76),