RUGBY LEAGUE
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FEW teams anywhere in bush footy enjoy the same kind of home ground support the Bears do in Blayney.
So, ahead of the town’s first Group 10 finals game since the 1999 grand final - a game, remarkably, ageless centre William “Bubba” Kennedy appeared in 16 years ago - you can imagine the sort of picture King George Oval will paint on Sunday for the 2015 elimination semi-final - the Bears against defending premiers Bathurst St Pat’s.
“The support we get from the Blayney public is just ridiculous,” behemoth backrower Leigh Monaghan said.
“It’s great to be part of something like that.
“I’m expecting a pretty big crowd ... I know all of my family will be there.”
Monaghan’s family, for the most part, will be making the trek from Kiama for the game, where the 22-year-old originally hails from.
A representative star in the making, the Kiama Knights junior made the move west with his father as an 18-year-old, played with the Bears in the juniors at that point before helping the club re-join premier league in the 2013 season.
After two wooden spoons, no one’s denying the comeback has been tough.
But Monaghan knew 2015 was different from the outset.
“Compared to the last couple of years it’s felt a lot different around here ... the club has been a lot more classy this season and I knew we’d do well,” he said.
“I just knew it this year.”
VIDEO: Michelle Cook and Nick McGrath preview this weekend's games:
Making the semi-finals and then making an impact in them are two vastly different things, and Monaghan is adamant the club is determined to emphatically tick column B.
Dane Howarth naming a full strength side for the clash is a further indication of the club’s desire to succeed.
Shutting down St Pat’s skipper Benjamin John around the ruck will go a long way towards achieving that success.
“He’s a freak,” Monaghan said, before lauding his side’s leaders and one of the feared front-row rotations in Group 10.
“Terry (Brown) at five-eighth, he’s been playing out of his skin this year.
“And big TC and Will, a lot of the tough stuff up front is done by those two and us backrowers benefit a lot from it and we make our metres off the back of that.”
Kick-off is at 1.45pm at Blayney on Sunday.
BLAYNEY BEARS: 1 Jessie Nixon, 2 Jake Crooks, 3 Josh Rainbow, 4 William Kennedy, 5 Ryan Oborn, 6 Terry Brown, 7 Steve Lane, 8 Will Ingram, 9 Cameron Dennis, 10 Terawhiti Cooper, 11 Michael Nixon, 12 Josh Nixon, 13 Dane Howarth (c/c); 14 Leigh Monoghan, 15 Jake Mooney, 16 Mark Slingsby, 17 Michael Dixon, 18 Lewis Bird.
BATHURST ST PAT’S: 1 Nathan Lawrence, 2 Adam Morton, 3 Curtis Boardman, 4 Matthew Tilley, 5 Tim Collins, 6 Garry Reilly, 7 Joe Coughlan, 8 Travis Winara, 9 Benjamin John, 10 Chris De Young, 11 Brady Cheshire, 12 Corey Averio, 13 Joe Bathchelor; 14 Hudson White, 15 Mick Armstrong, 16 Nick Miller, 17 Jack Mackey.