Forbes Rugby Union’s first grade side has broken a competitive drought with a 36–5 home victory over the Bathurst Bulldogs on Saturday. Captain Sam Parish said the win was the result of a long building process, and didn’t understate its significance. “There’s 637 days since our last first grade comp win - that takes us back to August 2024 against Dubbo,” he said. “The club has definitely turned a page and changed a lot since then as well.” After several near misses to start the Blowes Cup season, the breakthrough result felt like a reward for persistence. Forbes had shown promise in tight contests against Orange Emus and Orange City, but had been unable to close games out. “The win is one the club has been building towards,” Parish said. “We’ve obviously got a young squad and quite a lot of talent but it takes more than talent and skill to get a win in Blowes Cup. “It’s just that time together which we haven’t had compared to a lot of these other squads. "“Every week’s a hard week and that’s testament to the comp in central west.” Those narrow defeats, particularly the loss to Orange City, proved to be a catalyst. “That was a nail-biter and left us pretty gutted really, being so close to that one and just getting pipped at the post literally,” Parish said. The response was immediate, with the squad putting together a strong week on the training paddock under first grade coach Sam Jarrett. “We’ve been building through some good trial matches at the start of the season and three really tough matches to start the year against some pretty tough clubs,” Parish said. “We took a lot of positives out of each of those losses and saw the potential talent there – for us that game on Saturday took it to that next level.” Against Bathurst, Forbes delivered its most complete performance of the season, particularly around the set piece and combinations that had been developing in recent weeks. “We executed a lot higher on those set pieces than we previously have and that just turns the page for us,” Parish said. The Platypi started strongly and maintained their structure throughout, controlling possession and capitalising on opportunities out wide. “Some of our highlights, our strong points we’ve identified, we really executed those and capitalised on that,” Parish said. “Getting the ball out to the wing to the likes of Will Seiffer, and Johnny Monk.” Tries flowed as a result, with Uetaha Wanoa, Josh Elworthy, James Burton, Will Seyffer and Tom Ray all crossing the line. Elworthy added two conversions to round out the scoring. The result was made even more special coming at home on sponsors day, with supporters on hand to celebrate. Parish said the win also resonated beyond Forbes, with messages of support flowing in from across the competition. Looking ahead, the Platypi will enjoy a well-earned bye - with a few sore bodies in need of recovery - while several players turn their attention to representative duties. Uetaha Wanoa and James Burton (under 20s) will line up for the Blue Bulls at Country Week. Forbes returns to action on Saturday, 23 May, with a challenging away trip to Dubbo to take on the Roos, carrying fresh confidence and momentum. Results from Grinsted Oval Saturday, 9 May First XV Forbes 36 Bathurst 5 Second XV Forbes 22 Bathurst 28 Women's Forbes 17 Bathurst 19 Colts Forbes 8 Forbes 5
