They came within a whisker of upsetting the more fancied Boomanulla Raiders on the Raiders home track going down 28-22 in an enthralling encounter for the crowd who braved the wintery conditions of the nation’s capital.

Boorowa came back from a 20-0 halftime deficit to trail by just two points with six minutes left before the Raiders rallied to seal the win.

Like the previous week the Rovers came out with all guns blazing and restricted the flashy Boomanulla line up for the first quarter of the game from throwing the ball around. It was fifteen minutes before the first points were score when Boomanulla crossed for a 4-0 lead.

Boorowa had several scoring opportunities to score only to see the moves breakdown at the final moments. Boomanulla posted some late points in the first half as many sides have done against the Rovers and all of a sudden the score had blown out to 20-0.

Facing a big deficit in the slippery conditions, the mood was still upbeat in the sheds at halftime with the side knowing they had the ability to comeback if they controlled the ball more and didn’t push the passes.

Early in the second half Boorowa began to use their speed out wide with some clever kicking and it wasn’t long before one of the teams latest recruits, centre Josh Carmody ran 50 meters to score near the sticks for a converted try.

At 20-6, the lads got a sniff and when leader Chris Mason scored shortly afterwards they were well and truly back in it at 20-10. With 12 minutes left a rugby union move by  T-Bone Lindeman and Nathan Apps saw Budgey Apps cross near the sticks and when Muzza converted it was game on at 20-16.

With both defences tiring, Boomanulla gave themselves some breathing room with an unconverted try to make it 24-16 however the Rovers werent done and when the Man of The Match Nathan Morgan crossed the score was back to 24-22 with time still left.

Boomanulla than sealed the game with a late one on the bell for a 28-22 win and it was only the clock that possibly stopped the Rovers from at least stealing a point with a draw. It was a mighty effort to comeback from the dead which was greatly appreciated by Boorowa’s small group of supporters.

There really wasn’t a player in the Rovers who didn’t have a real dig. Nathan Morgan was inspirational in taking the three points with some great running and big defence.

Murray Armour has been a rock all year for the side and he earned two points. It must be said though, that some of Muzza’s kicks including a banana kick may have been better suited to the Soccer World Cup. In saying that when he gets it right, there are none better in the comp.

Diminutive Dylan Hanson at fullback picked up the one point and this kid has a heart bigger than Pharlap. All year he has had much bigger players bombarding him but he never flinches. He is one of the finds of the season. Players Player went to Stevo “The T-Bone” Lindeman who again carted the ball up all day and continually bruised the opposition.

Special mention to goes to Nathan Apps who each week hammers into the opposition head on regardless. Another forward to make an impact is Nathan McCracken. This old timer has shown the heart is well and truly alive and although the leg speed may have slowed, he’s still got the talent.  It’s great to have him on board and he is certainly inspiring his younger team mates.

Another player who defies father time is Robbie Drought who gets better with age. At half, lock, fullback, five eighth, he is another who takes no prisoners and leaves nothing on the park.

Another player who continues to give it his all each week is Dylan Poplin. Dylan takes on much bigger forwards every week but certainly lets his counterparts know they have a challenge on their hands if they choose to run at him.

Many Thanks to Mike from the Top Pub for taking his Bus again last Saturday. We had a great road trip and visited a number of venues on the way home who provided us with support including our Canberra base, the Page Tavern. Many thanks to them for their hospitality and if you’re looking for friendly venue in the Canberra west to have a bet, a beer and a feed it’s the place to go.

In other games on the weekend, Binalong put Crookwell to the sword running in twelve tries in a   66-0 romp. The match of the round was a close tussle as predicted with Harden sneaking home 18-12 over the Bungendore Tigers.

This week the Rovers are back home against the Yass Magpies with the kick off on Saturday at 2.30pm. The first round saw Yass win 38-12 in a nightmare loss for Boorowa that saw several injuries cripple their season with two key players Ben Geraghty and Tom Ramsey lost for the year.

However time waits for no man, and the lads have since rallied through some dark times to now look towards finishing the year strongly. This week the team will have the belief they can match it with the stronger teams and Yass won’t have this one all their own way. Boorowa seem more suited to the damp conditions at the moment with their forwards having a real dig against more imposing line ups.

This week’s other games sees a couple of interesting matches. Crookwell are at home to Boomanulla and an upset would not surprise. Boomanulla don’t travel well and Crookwell did beat Harden at home two weeks ago. However desperation for the two points should see the Raiders get the win.

The other match will see Harden at home to Binalong in a continuation of the great rivalry between the two teams. Binalong won the first round 24-14 and at home the Hawks could spring a surprise. A wet track may even the game up but the Brahman’s should get the chocolates.

See you at the showground this Saturday at 2.30pm to support the boys in the search for their first victory. Then it’s back to the Home of The Boorowa Rovers, the Top Pub, to analyse the game and party on well into the evening. It’s all happening with the Rovers, your footy team.

-Sand Boy