Rams v St Alberts College

Rugby News

Saturday 22 August saw the Barraba Rams play their final home game of the season against St Alberts College. The men faced a tough Albies outfit, who showed why they sit second on the ladder by crossing for an early try.

Barraba responded well, using strong kicking from Cody Townsend and determined defence to keep the pressure on. After a penalty in front of the posts, Townsend slotted the kick to put the Rams on the board at 3–7. Albies continued to threaten, but some excellent scrambling defence — including a try-saving effort from Brandon Newell — kept Barraba in the contest. Albies eventually added three more tries to take a 22–3 lead into halftime.

The Rams came out firing after the break. After sustained pressure in Albies territory, Conrad Starr powered over for Barraba’s first try, with Jarrod Petrus adding the conversion to make it 10–22.

Albies responded with two tries of their own, extending the margin to 10–34, but Barraba refused to go away. Newcomer Kian Learch made valuable metres down the wing before Connor Rogers broke through the defensive line to score, with Townsend converting.

With just minutes remaining, Barraba finished strongly. The forwards worked their way downfield before Starr crossed for his second try, with Petrus adding the conversion to bring the final score to 24–34.

Despite the loss, the Rams showed plenty of determination against one of the competition’s strongest sides, particularly in defence, and finished their final home game with a strong second-half performance.

Tries: Conrad Starr (2), Connor Rogers
Conversions: Jarrod Petrus (2), Cody Townsend
Penalty: Cody Townsend

Points:
3 – Brandon Newell
2 – Cody Townsend
1 – Nick Sweeney
1 – Conrad Starr
PP – Connor Rogers

Before the women took to the field, the entire Barraba Rugby Club came together for a special moment of remembrance for Bill Crowley — a past player, coach, president and Life Member of the club. Bill dedicated an incredible amount of his time to the Barraba Rams and made a lasting contribution to both the club and the wider community.

Players and club members lined up as The Last Post was played, with the crowd standing together to pay their respects and remember a great man who gave so much to the club.The Barraba Rugby Club extends its deepest condolences to the Crowley family. Bill’s contribution to the Rams will always be remembered.

The Barraba Rams women took on St Alberts College in a thrilling contest on Saturday, with neither side able to be separated at the final whistle.

Barraba started strongly, dominating territory and spending almost the entire opening quarter camped inside Albies’ 22. Despite sustained pressure, Albies’ defence held firm. The Rams came agonisingly close after some great vision from Lily Bradshaw saw her attack the blindside and create space for flying winger Kiah Newell. Newell crossed the line, but unfortunately carried the ball just beyond the dead-ball line, leaving the opening quarter scoreless.

The second quarter saw the momentum swing Albies’ way as they capitalised on Barraba’s lack of discipline. With penalties beginning to mount against the Rams, Albies crossed for two unanswered tries to take a 12–0 lead into halftime.

Barraba returned after the break determined to fight their way back into the contest. A strong run from centre Ruby Smith, followed by excellent support from Bradshaw, saw Bradshaw race away under the posts before converting her own try to make it 12–7.

The Rams continued to apply pressure and soon found the line again. After shifting to the short side, Charlie Norton produced a great run, stepping back inside the defence and crossing to level the scores at 12-all. Albies responded before the quarter was out, using their pace down the sideline to score and regain a 17–12 lead heading into the final quarter.

With just 10 minutes remaining, both sides battled hard, with much of the play occurring between the two 22s. Barraba eventually swung the momentum their way and worked deep into Albies territory. The forwards went to work with a series of strong picks before creating enough space for Ruby Smith to barge her way over the line after the final bell, levelling the scores.

With the game resting on the conversion, the kick was lined up but agonisingly bounced off the post, leaving the final score locked at 17–17 — a fitting result for such a closely contested game.

The draw capped off the Rams women’s final regular-season game and was another display of their determination to keep fighting right until the final whistle.

Tries: Lily Bradshaw, Charlie Norton, Ruby Smith
Conversion: Lily Bradshaw

Points:
3 – Lily Bradshaw
2 – Amie Middlemiss
1 – Leilani Tevaga
PP – Amie Middlemiss

The day was made even more special as Amie Middlemiss celebrated her 100th club game for the Barraba Rams, becoming the first female player in club history to reach the milestone. A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise the day and made the occasion such a memorable one.

The result brings the men’s 2026 season to a close, but the action continues for the women. This Saturday, the Rams travel to Armidale to take on the Baa Baa’s in the Major Final, kicking off at 1:45pm at Bellevue Oval.

With a spot in the Grand Final on the line, make sure you get along and support the women as they continue their finals campaign!