Tough weekend of footy looms

By Tim Howard

Grafton’s rugby league clubs face a tough two days of footy coming off a wash out of Group 2 Rugby League games at the weekend.

The Grafton Ghosts hit the road for Macksville on Saturday, lining up against the team chasing them for third spot on the ladder.

Like the Ghosts, Macksville have claimed the scalp of the South Grafton Rebels, who they beat 26-18 in round 3 and will be keen to add Grafton to the list.

New Ghosts captain coach Dylan Collett said you always have to be wary of taking on Macksville at home.

“They’re always tough down there,” he said. “What we’re hoping for is a week of sunny weather to get the track dry.

“We’re sick of play on wet, boggy grounds.”

Collett said the wet weather was a major contributor to the 12-12 draw the Ghosts played with second-placed Sawtell in round 3, the team equal with them in points, but ahead on averages on the competition ladder.

“The game against Sawtell was really a rain affected game that could have gone either way,” he said.

“The ground was a mess and it was raining, but I was pretty pleased with the way everyone put in.”

It will be the Grafton Ghosts first game for three weeks after a competition bye and washout, a factor Collett has tried mitigate on the training paddock.

“Even though we didn’t play at the weekend, we had a training run and the players really put in,” he said.

“I think this early in the season it won’t be too much of an issue because it’s early days for everyone.”

He was excited to get talented half Jordan Gallagher on the paddock after the Ghosts signed him this season from the Rebels.

Gallagher, playing in the 7 jumper, was a pivotal player as a teenager for the Rebels during their march to the 2022 premiership.

Collett said Gallagher missed the early part of this season because he’d been holidaying in Japan, but would be a key part of the Ghosts’ plans for the rest of the season.

He was also pleased with the form of another recruit, fullback Toby Macintosh who has fitted in well at the club.

He said he had come from the Burleigh Bears where he was a noted try scorer, an issue the Ghosts wanted to remedy after last season.

Despite finishing in the top four, the Ghosts had a -40 points differential through the season and only scored 240 point just two more than the last-placed team.

“You have to score tries if you want to win competitions,” said Collett, who scored 15 four-pointers for his team last year.

On Sunday the Rebels face possibly their biggest ask of the season to date, the high flying Nambucca Roosters.

Already in 2024 the Roosters have accounted for premiers Woolgoolga, who they clobbered 42-10 in round 1 and Macksville, flogged 44-8 the following week.

By contrast the Rebels, beaten 2024 grand finalists, have been patchy and struggling for cohesion.

They have been competitive, but lost close games to the Ghosts 28-20 and Macksville 26-18.

But they bounced back in their last outing, putting Coffs Comets to the sword, 36-18, in a deferred round 2 game.

As happened last year, the Rebels have lost key players and have put together a new-look team for 2024.

Coach Ron Gordon brought in lock Richard Roberts and moved club stalwart Grant Stevens into the front row.

Based on the Coffs Comets game it will give teams plenty of head aches.

Stevens was dynamic in attack against the Comets, repeatedly gaining big metres with his ball carries.

And Roberts was a powerhouse in attack and defence.

Roberts’ brother Tyler was also effective at centre and another import, Conrad Lardner, looked at home in the second row.

The Rebels v Nambucca first grade game kicks off at 2.40pm on Sunday at McKittrick Park, South Grafton.

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