After securing a bonus point victory over the North Harbour Rays in Bathurst on Saturday afternoon, the NSW Country Eagles thought they had done enough to book a spot in the NRC finals. Awaiting the result of the Melbourne Rising and Sydney Stars game, the squad came together to watch the match, knowing that anything but a losing bonus point to the Sydney Stars was enough to keep their season alive. But sometimes, the footy gods just aren’t with you. Trailing 18-10 at halftime, the Stars held on to claim a crucial losing bonus point to secure fourth position and a finals spot, in the competition’s first ever scoreless second half. “It was heartbreaking on all fronts. We all sat down and watched the game together and it was like watching a car crash in slow motion, particularly that second half,” Eagles coach Darren Coleman said. “There were five potential outcomes from that match and the only one that we didn’t want was a tight win to Melbourne and that’s exactly wha