Rugby league history was made last Saturday when the inaugural Castlereagh Community Cup competition kicked off with games at Walgett and Dunedoo.

Designed to provide competitive senior football for smaller communities within the vast Castlereagh League area, the Cup has created genuine interest with good crowds on hand to take in the first-round action.

Trangie Magpies travelled to Dunedoo to take on the Mendooran Tigers. In their first outing, the home side made a nervous start and, on the back of a severe lack of possession, much of which could be attributed to their handling errors, they were staring at an 18-point deficit on the scoreboard as the Tigers raced in three converted tries within the opening 15 minutes.

However, the Black-and-Whites then regrouped and stemmed the flow of points, with no addition to the scoreboard when the teams trooped off for the half-time break.

The Magpies dominated the second half by a 12-10 margin, eventually going down to a strong Tigers outfit by 28-12.

Whilst they never seemed like they were going to lose the game, the Tigers will be looking to make sure that they put in for the whole match when they travel to Walgett to play the Dragons in Round Two on Saturday.

In their first match, the Dragons were up against the Gulargambone Galahs with the sides fighting out a tense 14-all draw in their game last Saturday.

In Round Two, the Galahs will be looking forward to having their first home game, when they host Trangie this weekend.

The Castlereagh League season proper is drawing near with the League Tag knockout being played at Cobar on Saturday, March 28, followed by the Youth League and First Grade knockouts taking place at Gulgong on Saturday, April 11.

Planning is also well underway for a Castlereagh League Referee’s camp to be held in Gulgong in conjunction with the knockouts, on Friday, April 10, and Saturday April 11.

Former NRL referee Gavin Badger will be in attendance over the two days, with the camp open to existing referees and anyone wanting to become an accredited referee.

For details about the camp, contact Castlereagh League secretary Bryson Luff on 0438 058 563.

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Castlereagh Community Cup Round One scores

Mendooran Tigers 28 (Stephen Eyles, Rory Madden, James Eyles, Ben Gallagher, Sam Wesley tries, Madden 3, Stephen Eyles goals) defeated Trangie Magpies 12 (Troy Carter, Mick Louie tries, Peter Evans 2 goals) played at Dunedoo.

Walgett Dragons 14 (Malekai Halem 2, Quinton Kennedy tries, Kennedy goal) drew with Gulargambone Galahs 14 (Sonny Bill Walker, Elvy McEwen, Kadyn Arrowsmith tries, Brank Hammond goal) played at Walgett.

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Round Two, Saturday, March 21

Gulargambone versus Trangie

Walgett versus Mendooran.

Check local media and club socials to confirm game times.