Bathurst '75 forward James Christie has eight games after six Western Premier League rounds

Bathurst '75 forward James Christie has scored eight goals this season, more than double the total scored by a group of players tied for second.

In fact he's scored the same amount of goals as Orange Waratahs and Parkes Cobras have managed.

His strong lead at the top of the pile is thanks to an impressive four-goal haul he picked up in a crushing 9-1 win over Dubbo Bulls on Saturday, which doubled his tally for the 2023 season.

READ MORE:

Andrew Fearnley, Christie's step-father who's also on the '75 coaching staff, said the royal blues forward has been taking his chances well all season,

"I don't know if you ever go into any game thinking you're going to get four as a team, let alone four as a player," he said.

"To be honest, he probably took his chances well on the day and that kind of game it was, it enabled him to get the four goals.

"We were certainly confident that we'd get a win there, without being disrespectful.

"It's not just that game in Dubbo, he's got eight throughout the course of the year and he's pretty much scored in almost every game he's played.

"There's a strong expectation from James that he wants to be on the score sheet."

While the goals he scored against Bulls might've looked relatively easy for someone watching the replay, Christie positioned himself incredibly well for the goals, as well as receiving excellent service from his teammates.

Christie only played a handful of games last year because of personal reasons, but he still managed to score three goals.

He previously played for Western NSW FC and Bathurst '75, when it competed in the state leagues, as well as a number of clubs in Sydney.

"He's got that experience," Fearnley said.

"I think that given he's been able to train every week and play every week, I think the goals are showing that he's in good form."

There are currently five players tied for second with four goals apiece.

Jack Press, who joined '75 in the off-season from Bathurst District Football outfit Collegians, has scored four goals in just two outings for the royal blues, including a hat-trick against Bulls in his most recent game.

Macquarie United's Tristan Waters also has four goals, including two doubles in the opening round against '75 and the most recent round against Parkes Cobras.

Orana Spurs duo Bradley Boney-Chillie and Jake Grady have both impressed up front in 2023, with the former scoring two goals in a high scoring match against Barnstoneworth United in the most recent round.

Blake Medlyn has scored two doubles for Parkes Cobras in 2023, in the opening six rounds of the competition.

All up, there's been 45 different goal scorers in the 2023 season, not including own goals.

Craig Sugden and Agieg Aluk were last year's joint-golden boot winners, but the former is no longer playing for Waratahs in the WPL, while the latter has managed just one goal for his new club Waratahs, having moved from '75 in the off-season.

Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.