Orange Emus’ Nik Granger has a long and celebrated history with Central West having represented the Blue Bulls for the better part of a decade through the noughties, so you can imagine how keen he is to don the two-blue jersey again at Endeavour Oval this weekend.
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Although, he refused to go as far as completely labelling Saturday’s clash against the Classic Wallabies a swansong.
“I don’t think I’ll ever seriously use the ‘R’ word,” Granger laughed, obviously referring to retirement.
“I don’t think I’ll ever really say no, to club rugby anyway, obviously I played this year and I certainly haven’t said no to playing again next year if I can around family and everything.
“One more run for Central West though, I think, that’s partly what this is all about and I’m really looking forward to it.”
As part of a blockbuster Central West Barbarians outfit, Granger will rekindle his combinations with a number of former stars he won NSW Country Rugby Union Championships with in 2001’s Richardson Shield triumph and back-to-back Caldwell Cup wins the two years after.
Granger also earned NSW Country Cockatoos selection following the 2002 and 2003 wins.
“I’ve got a lot of good memories in the Central West jersey, and others. I’ve won Country Championships, played for the Cockatoos and won a Thailand 10s tournament with essentially a Country side too,” he said.
“It’ll be really good to catch up with a lot of the guys I played at that level with and I actually think it’s great the way they’ve worked this one, picking the side across a few generations of the Blue Bulls it’s sort of come full circle in a way.
“I think there’s only three guys in the side I don’t know, whether that’s from playing with or against them. It’s a great concept, a bit of a reunion in a way and it’s great the Classic Wallabies are coming out this way too.”
The 2001 triumph was Granger’s first year in the Blue Bulls’ senior side and as he explained was “pretty much” the under-21 side from the previous year, which he’d been asked to trial for as an 18-year-old.
“It was a pretty rapid rise to representative rugby I guess, but I never really looked back once I got the chance,” he explained.
Granger said the clash with the Classic Wallabies, a side that includes the likes of Stephen Moore, Justin Harrison and Mark Gerrard, will be an excellent way for him to cap off 2018 too, which proved a milestone year.
Before playing an integral role in Emus’ Blowes Clothing Cup third grade title this year – he played five-eighth and scored the decider’s match-winning try – the former speedster had never even played in a grand final, let alone won one.
He went close with a number of clubs, but incredibly on more than one occasion just missed a premiership season.
”I always seemed to leave a club, then they’d win a premiership,” he laughed.
“I left CSU after the 2003 season and they won in 2004. I left Trangie and then they won in 2016 and the same thing happened the year after I left the club I played for in Queensland.
“I wish I could say it was the wisdom I imparted while I was there that inspired those wins, but clubs would probably want to have just so I’d leave, they’d win after that.
“I don’t think I would ever have finished playing if I didn’t get that one this year.”
This year’s title, won thanks to a 10-nil victory over Bathurst Bulldogs in the decider, was a title Granger would never have won had he actually followed through with his plans to hang up the boots after an injury-riddled season with Emus in 2009.
”I had a pretty bad back injury that year and didn’t plan on going around again, but Trangie were short in Molong one day in 2010 so I thought I’d have a run,” he said.
“It was very different rugby but I had an absolute ball, it rekindled the fire I guess because I played a number of years with the Tigers and it’s eight years later now and I’m still playing.”
Granger will be joined by a number of ex and current Emus in Central West’s side, like Mark Daley, Matt Greatbatch and Stu Brisbane, among others. The likes of Dubbo Kangaroos’ Shaun McHugh, Cowra’s Tim Berry and Bulldogs’ Scott Johnston, all still playing for their respective clubs, will also line up.
Saturday’s main game kicks off at 4pm following a junior clinic and a number of curtain-raisers, including a trail for Central West’s women’s New Zealand tour side and a blockbuster clash between the OilsPlus Cup’s Northern and Southern Division representative sides.
Tickets to the event are $15 pre-purchased, or $20 on the Endeavour Oval gate.
- CLASSIC WALLABIES: Tom Carter, Mark Chisholm, Sam Cordingly, Mark Gerrard, James Grant, Justin Harrison, Stephen Hoiles, Tim Le Nevez, Pat McCutcheon, Stephen Moore ©, Dean Mumm, Pat Phibbs, Sam Payne, Beau Robinson, DeWet Roos, Radike Samo, Matt Tink, Morgan Turinui; Gary Pearce (head coach), James Holbeck (assistant coach), Chris Malone (assistant coach)
- CENTRAL WEST BARBARIANS: Mark Daley, Craig Campbell, Josh Tremain, Andrew Webb, Scott Johnston, Mitch Lavelle, Danny Flannery, Stu Brisbane, Anthony Begg, Lachie McCutcheon, Chris Plunkett, Shaun McHugh, Matt McGregor, Tim Berry, Lyndon Beneckes, Jono Cody, Nik Granger, Baden Annis-Brown, Matt Waterford, James Brazier, Paul Miller, Adam Dwyer, Colin Kilby, Graeme Porch, James Grant, Simon Brabin, Justin Roberts, Dean Oxley, Phil Tonkin, Steve Roberts; Col Jeffs (coach), Andy McCalman (coach), Jock Whittle (manager), Matt Greatbatch (social coordinator)
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
