Barellan Rams are on a roll, notching up their second win for the season in the ProTen Community Cup rugby league at Goolgowi on June 5.

At half-time, Barellan were 10 to Ivanhoe 6 and the full-time score was 14-10.

Nick Ohlsen, Reece Wilson and Noah Forbutt all scored for Barellan while Forbutt made the conversion.

For Ivanhoe, try scorers were Mark Huntly and Leon Carmichael (and a goal).

It has been a dream run for the Rams when the Club almost didn’t field a team for 2021.

Coach Ben Evans said the year got off to a bad start when Barellan failed to put a point on the scoreboard during the pre-season knockout carnival.

He also tore a hamstring during the carnival and was forced to miss round one.

“We were struggling for numbers at the start of the year with only eight blokes coming to training each week,” Evans said.

“We put the message out and a few boys came back to help out.”

This will be the fourth season of coaching the senior side for Evans.

He said the team had also struggled for numbers in 2019, and failed to get a win on the board.

“There were four or five blokes who played AFL as well but they play league instead of rules now,” he said.

“With the short 15-minute halves at the pre-season knockout we struggled to get in the rhythm.

“It was the first time we had all played together so it was about everyone getting to know each other.

“There’s five or six young fellas who haven’t played for Barellan before including Noah Forbutt at hooker, and Beigh Hillier in the centre and he was the Player’s Player last weekend.”

Evans said the four hour trip to Ivanhoe in round one resulted in a gutsy win for the Rams.

“That was definitely a confidence booster especially for those boys who had played in 2019 when we didn’t win a game – it put a spring in their step,” he said.

“It was a tough match last weekend against Ivanhoe – they are a big side, we muscled up in the middle to try to make them go around us instead of through us. We have been doing a lot of work at training and it is paying off.”

Following a bye this weekend, Barellan will take on Narrandera Lizards at Barellan on June 19.

“Being a home ground close to Narrandera, the Lizards should have some good numbers and they have always been a tough side,” Evans said.

“Hopefully we will get a good crowd.”

The Lizards went down to the Hillston Bluebirds last weekend 38-28.

Jock Potter scored four tries for Hillston, Nathan Brettschneider two and Tale Delai a single while Manase Panove kicked four goals.

Troy Prior led by example, scoring two tries for the Lizards, and one each to Corey Prior, Malek Lyons, and Jamine Morgan, and Rowan Matthews kicked four goals.

In other games, Googlowi Rabbitohs steamrolled Rankins Springs 38-12.

Scoring for Goolgowi were Ollie Taylor, 3, Vaughn Higgins, Mitch Cooper, Marty Brown, Tom Condon, and Jono Morris kick five goals.

Brent Parsons and Josh Curphy scored for the Dragons and Damian Walker converted two goals.

The ladder stands at Goolgowi on top on four points, Barellan second place on four points, Hillston and Ivanhoe on two, and followed by Rankins Springs and Narrandera.

On June 19, Rankins Springs take on Hillston, and Goolgowi meet Ivanhoe.

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 10 June 2021.