Beware the Rooster’s Crow: Ivanhoe win 2023 ProTen Community Cup Knockout

By Tallon Smith

Ivanhoe Roosters have built on their 2022 Grand Final appearance by taking out the 2023 Proten Community Cup Knockout on their home ground on Saturday afternoon.

The town, which is proudly amongst the smallest in the state to host a rugby league club, was sent into raptures when the Roosters defeated a gallant Barellan Rams side 14-6 in the Final to claim the shield and the bragging rights heading into Round 1 in two weeks’ time.

Speaking on the victory, Ivanhoe President Mark Huntly said the victory is “a bit of a confidence booster for the town and the footy club.”

“Getting beaten in the Grand Final last year was a hard one to swallow,” he said.

“It left a sour taste in our mouth last year to lose, we’ve gotta go one better.”

“Winning the knockout gives us a bit of a confidence booster heading into the season.”

Huntly said that the win was made all the more important in light of the recent events which have negatively impacted the town.

“It’s been good for the town after being hit by the floods,” he said.

“It’s great for the community to have people come through the town again, road closures meant people kept going around the town [during the floods].”

Another topic of conversation around the Proten Community Cup towns which Huntly weighed in on is the health of the competition.

“The teams in it this year are a lot stronger,” he said.

“It’s a more even competition, everyone’s in with a chance.”

Ivanhoe’s favourite son, former NRL star Joel Thompson, turned out for his hometown, and was a key part of the victory, with Huntly saying it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for locals to play a knockout with an ex-NRL player.

“It was great to have him there, not just for the community, but for the young blokes to play alongside him,” he said.

One sour note was the withdrawal of Narrandera from the men’s draw, meaning that, given the pools featured three teams, Rankins Springs played Ivanhoe in a solitary game to qualify for the final.

Forfeits were made all the more surprising given that Narrandera are defending Premiers in both the men’s and women’s competitions and just last month won the Rankins Springs Ultimate Ressie’s 9’s Knockout.

In the solitary remaining Group B game, Ivanhoe outclassed a gutsy Rankins Springs team by 10 points to nil.

Group A pool action saw Hillston win a low scoring encounter with Goolgowi 4-0, before Barellan breezed through to the final courtesy of 22-0 and 26-4 defeats of Hillston and Goolgowi respectively.

In the women’s competition, the Barellan Rams made their debut after being the only club without a women’s side in 2022, taking out the title along the way with a 16-6 win over Goolgowi in the Final.

Preliminary games saw Goolgowi beat Hillston 12-0, before Barellan defeated Narrandera’s Lady Lizards 24-4 and the hometown Ivanhoe side 18-6.

At this stage there are still hopes that Rankins Springs may field a Women’s side ensuring that all clubs have Men’s and Women’s teams.

Round 1 of the Proten Community Cup competition for 2023 will be held in Barellan on May 27, with Rankins Springs tackling Narrandera, Goolgowi facing Ivanhoe, and the hometown Barellan Rams taking on rivals Hillston, with all fixtures featuring men’s and women’s games.