Even before the first kick-off, not one spectator at the first grade clash between the Boggabri Kangaroos and Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters expected a slick, fast-flowing game of football yesterday.
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The weather had made sure of that. The skies were overcast, with a cold wind and incessant drizzle throughout the day.
The ground at Boggabri's Jubilee Oval was slick, the ball slipped out of players' hands regularly, and by the end of the game, both sides were bruised and muddy.
But the Kangaroos' 28-22 win was a thriller nonetheless. And it was their first ever over the Roosters in first grade.
"Physically we were pretty good, pretty strong," Rampling said.
"It's good to get that win over Kooty, get that monkey off our back. I was a bit worried it was going to repeat from last year when they nabbed us right on the bell."
From the outset, it was clear that both sides came in looking to bludgeon the other.
Roosters captain Logan Howard set the tone early for his side with a series of crunching tackles, but Boggabri's equally big and aggressive forwards met fire with fire.
Home skipper Matt Gillham set the tone early by slipping through Kootingal-Moonbi's defence for a try, and the Kangaroos soon added two more to lead 14-6 after 25 minutes.
"The wet weather didn't help us, we dropped a lot of ball," Boggabri coach, Shane Rampling said.
"There were times where we could have put Kooty away, but we kept inviting them back into the game. They're a decent side, and if you give a decent side ball, they'll cause you problems."
Inevitably, though, the Roosters fought back. Despite losing Howard to what looked like a nasty knee knock, and Leroy Livermore being sin-binned early in the second half, the visitors kept finding ways to score and prevent Boggabri from running away with the game.
Thanks to two late tries from veteran centre Robbie Doolan, however, the hosts held on to their lead in the dying minutes.
The victory extended the Kangaroos' win streak to four, and ended Kootingal-Moonbi's unbeaten start to the year. Most importantly, Rampling said, it bolstered his side's belief that they can compete with other top teams.
"We've just got to believe in what we're trying to achieve here," he said.
"I thought defensively at times we were strong. There's a few things to work on, but we are moving in the right direction."
Ultimately, as the conditions made life nightmarish for both sides, Rampling said it was a victory of determination and resilience.
That was what pleased the veteran coach the most.
"That game wasn't over until that whistle went," Rampling said.
"I'm thankful for a game like that, because there was a lot of resolve in that game. It was very physical out there, and to grind a win out like that is massive for us."
