by Paul Cook –

After 14 wins in a row, stretching all the way back to round eight of the inaugural 2014 NRC season, it was perhaps inevitable that Brisbane City’s dominant run would come to an end at some point. That it did so in the opening week of the 2016 season, at the hands of the NSW Country Eagles last Saturday in Sydney, may, on reflection, have been the most opportune moment for the two-time reigning Premiers to finally hit a hurdle.

As short a competition as the NRC is, one loss is unlikely to cost you a place in the final four, and for it to happen right at the start of proceedings, may prove to be a blessing in disguise for a team that is still bedding in several newcomers, as well as a fledgling head coach.

“It obviously wasn’t the result we were after,” new City captain Sam Talakai told Rugby News this week. “But I think it hit home to many members in our squad. We’ve got a lot of young blokes in this team and the start of this NRC competition is really about us coming together as quickly as possible.

“Our discipline really cost us early on in the contest and our execution really let us down throughout the game. However, on the bright side, it was a good experience for the debutants in our team. A few now have a taste and they will be better for it.”

Anyone who watched City’s first half performance in particular, where better execution from the Eagles could have had them out of sight by the break, would have seen an unrecognisable effort from the team that has dominated the first two years of the competition.

But an improved showing in the second stanza, and a look at the game stats, where they had it over the Eagles in terms of metres gained and defenders beaten (only just), carries and offloads (almost double), and at the set-piece, suggests they weren’t that far off.

“Credit to the Eagles, they came out with a heap of enthusiasm and really caught us in that first half and we were playing catch-up from the start,” says Talakai. “We’d only had four sessions together before the game but that’s not an excuse, the Eagles were stripped of time as well. We just need to work on our combinations.

“Our ball retention and the breakdown were other areas we need improvement in, as well as executing under pressure when opportunities arise on the edge. But it’s definitely added a bit of fire to training this week, and many of the boys will be out to make up for it against the Rams.”

City’s Luke Beauchamp downed by a pair of Eagles – Photo: Getty Images

Helping their chances of a swift return to the winners circle are the welcome additions of Nick Frisby and Jake McIntyre, the Queensland Reds duo forming a potent halves combination that will be a stern test for their Rams counterparts of Scott Gale – himself a former Red – and Paul Asquith. Talakai is under no illusions as to the significance of their presence.

“We’re expecting a few players back over the course of the season so the early stages are vital for us, but to have those guys back is a massive boost,” he confirms. “Their combination at Super Rugby level gives our team a bit more direction and flow. It will allow us to play the style of game we want.”

The Rams are many people’s tip for the wooden spoon, but despite conceding 50pts to the Sydney Rays last Sunday afternoon, they showed that they were certainly not a team to be taken lightly. They competed well at the breakdown, had the better of it at scrum time and unleashed plenty of gas on the flanks, and but for some early lapses of concentration in the opening quarter, could have gone a lot closer than the 50-30 final scoreline suggested.

“They are a big team and they have ball carrying threats all over the field,” says Talakai. “The contact battle is a key area in this game and whoever wins that area will have opportunities to control the game.”

With the departures of Scott Higginbotham and Liam Gill overseas, and the current absence of injured Reds Karmichael Hunt and Junior Laloifi, City have had to blood several newcomers with the sizeable task of matching their predecessors enviable success.

But don’t suggest to their captain that a changing of the guard and a first-up loss points to a potential season of consolidation.

“As a squad we definitely don’t have the mindset of it being a transitional year,” bristles Talakai. “We still believe we are a team that can lift up the trophy at the seasons end. But we definitely have to improve every week.”