The Parkes Boars Women's Team has booked their spot into the grand final of the Central West Rugby Union North Cup competition. They've been here before, twice, and on both occasions the title has just been out of reach so they already know they need to go the extra mile to get there. And they've never been hungrier for it. The women won eight of their 12 round matches, finishing the regular season third on the ladder with 51 points - the same as the Molong Magpies in second who had better for and against, and 10 points behind minor premiers Mudgee Wombats. Parkes narrowly won its minor semi final against CSU Mitchell, 33-31, on 17 August, backing that up with a very convincing win over Molong 55-5 in the preliminary final a week later. They head to Cale Oval in Narromine this Saturday for the big dance. They'll certainly have their work cut out for them this year - Mudgee has been a dominating force across the board. But everyone loves an underdog. "The girls are excited, they're keen to jump in and have a crack, and get the job done," coach Kevin Oliver said. "They have been stepping up each game and are really working together as a unit." Oliver said the women's team work has been outstanding this year and they haven't let the challenges they've faced affect them. Their preliminary final last Saturday was a prime example. "What was good and bad for us was that one of the girls broke her wrist at the gym (a few days before the game) but it made way for other girls to step up and take control," Oliver said. The forwards played well, paving the way for some great rugby. And there were no standouts in Oliver's eyes either. "It's the hardest question to answer," he said. "I really struggle to single out one [player] because they're doing so well as a team, which is really good. "It just means they're all working together." Oliver is all too familiar with the strength of Mudgee, this year and in previous seasons, in both the men's and women's competitions. The men have regularly met Mudgee in grand finals and just on the weekend the Wombats ended the first grade Boars' hopes of a 2025 grand final berth, cruising to a 68-14 victory. "We need to shut down their outside backs to force them through the middle," Oliver said. "If we can do that we've got a good chance, that will be our focus." The team: Front row, captain: Jordan Gaffney Front row, co-captain: Emma Evans Front row: Chloe Smith Front row: Shanna Nock Front row: Caitie Sole Second row: Matayah Guys Second row: Cameron Lees Second row: Joselyne Folau Second row: Kate Marchinton Second row: Paige Duncan Second row: Kristin Lennox Centre, co-captain: Meaghan Kempson Centre: Ash Watts Centre: Madi Barclay George Centre: Indi Heard Centre, winger: Leanna Downie Scrum half: Tiarne Hamam Scrum half, assistant coach: Tess Woods Fly half: Cailin Westcott Winger: Brittney May Ryan Winger: Hanna Evans Winger: Ella Macgregor Coach: Kevin Oliver Assistant coach: Tonga Folau Manager: Bronwyne Lowe Women's president: Natalie Caruana
