Hat-Trick: Eagles winger Andrew Kellaway increased his burgeoning reputation with three tries
Photo: QRU Media Unit

by Paul Cook –

New South Wales Country Eagles sit proudly on top of the NRC ladder – for now – after recording their second win in two matches, a 37-13 defeat of interstate rival Queensland Country yesterday.

A blistering start from the Eagles saw them 16-0 ahead after 16 minutes thanks to tries from Stephen Hoiles and Andrew Kellaway before the hosts responded with a five pointer from winger Tom Pincus. Kellaway was then the right man in the right place to grab his second to take the visitors to the sheds with a commanding 21-5 lead.

The Eagles then had to withstand a second half onslaught from the Queenslanders that saw them reduce the gap to 8pts with a try from Rubin Fuimaono. But after soaking up half an hour of pressure with some sterling defence, the Eagles put the game to bed with a quickfire double late in the piece, Pat Dellit scoring from a crossfield kick before the predatory Kellaway claimed his hat-trick with a 60 metre intercept.

Eagles assistant coach Shannon Fraser paid tribute to his side’s early intent. “We knew this was their first game and we knew there would be a level of excitement and enthusiasm because of that, especially at their home ground, so we had a focus on matching that enthusiasm,” he told Rugby News.

“We got our intention levels up pretty well before kick-off and I was really pleased with how good our first 15-20 minutes was. We matched them and we managed to put a few things together and I think we showed in that first 20 minutes the benefit of having already played a game. There was some cohesion there and we were able to retain the ball quite well and limit their excitement early on.”

Whilst he was understandably pleased with the final scoreline, Fraser conceded that it probably wasn’t a true reflection of the 80 minutes. “It wasn’t an easy job today and it went down to the wire. We were physically challenged and had to defend for the first 25 minutes of the second half and I think the result was really the foundation of that defence,” he said. “We were parked inside our own 22 for long periods but managed to springboard off that and get those two late scores and the boys will be in pretty good spirits on the way home after that.”

Flying High: Eagles’ lock Ben Matwijow soars highest to take a line out – Photo: QRU Media Unit

It was all Eagles from the off, scrumhalf Mick Snowden at his probing best to look for an early weakness and it was his forwards who found the early holes. Happy to go coast-to-coast, the Eagles ball retention was sharp and after a surge from Cam Treloar got them within range and a hit-up from Michael Alaalatoa drew some tacklers, the ball went to the opposite flank for Stephen Hoiles to go in and draw first blood.

Queensland Country hit back with their own period of sustained pressure from the restart, camping around the edge of the Eagles’ 22 for the next six or seven minutes but unable to find a breakthrough. Reds’ flanker Beau Robinson was in the thick of the action early on as both sides settled into a free-flowing rhythm and an intention to attack at every opportunity, the mantra of the NRC thus far.

Having weathered the Queensland storm, a great surge from Waratah, Tala Gray, moving to blindside with Stephen Hoiles packing down at no.8, got the visitors back within striking distance. After another period of controlled phase play, it was Gray and Alaalatoa again who opened the door in the 16th minute, sucking in defenders and leaving an overlap out wide for Andrew Kellaway to exploit, off a pass from Sam Windsor.

Faced with such an early deficit, there were signs of mild panic in the Queensland side as they began to eschew the chance to run on a dry deck, favouring a barrage of high balls and clearing kicks instead as the New South Wales’ chasers did their job. But if we’ve learned anything from the NRC to this point, it’s that running the ball is a default option – weather permitting – and that a seemingly healthy lead can very quickly be turned around through the medium of the 8pt try.

And so it was, when Queensland next found themselves in enemy territory on 23 minutes, they let the ball do the work and profited with a try from winger Tom Pincus. Captain Anthony Fainga’a was the catalyst with three telling contributions. It was his initial stinger out of the line that forced a knock-on and turnover, his run and offload that broke the line and made telling ground and his pass wide that isolated a couple of seagulling Eagles forwards that eventually allowed Pincus to do the rest.

It proved to be the merest of respites as the Eagles went for the jugular straight from the restart to construct a second for Kellaway. An up-n-under from flyhalf Windsor was spilled and Snowden pounced, sending it wide for Treloar to feed Gray. One impressive turn of speed and perfect offload later and Kellaway, the Aussie U20’s flyer, had a brace.

Gray, starved of game time in his first season with the Waratahs, was evidently a man on a mission, keen to prove his worth to the watching powers that be. Cleaning out rucks, repeat hit-ups, some dazzling handling skills and searing pace were all on display as Gray concocted his very own highlights reel.

No Way Through: Reds & Queensland Country flanker Beau Robinson runs into Tala Gray who was superb for the Eagles – Photo: QRU Media Unit

Fainga’a meanwhile was almost as impressive for Queensland, certainly putting in a captain’s shift and leading by example as he attempted to cajole his troops into a fightback. However, the best they could muster was a shot at the posts – a rarity indeed – as the first half drew to a close but Pincus’ attempt fell shy of the uprights and the hosts trudged to the sheds with plenty of work to do.

The second half saw New South Wales forced to show the defensive side of their game as Queensland came out firing to try and claw their way back into the contest. Having blown away a few cobwebs in what was their first hit-out as a team after an opening round bye, they set about improving their territory stats with a forwards based onslaught.

Pick and drives were the order of the day inside the 22 and after a succession of rumbles got them within sight of the chalk in the 49th minute, big lock Rubin Fuimaono was on hand to drive over the final couple of metres and reduce the gap to 11pts. Pincus’ conversion made it 21-13 and it was game on.

The Eagles struggled to get out of their half for the rest of the third quarter as Queensland ramped up the pressure, their scrum starting to get the upper hand while a potent driving maul was garnering success. A raft of offside penalties allowed the home side to keep their foot on the throat through the lineout option but they just couldn’t find a way through a wall of gold jerseys.

Mitchell Chapman had come on in place of Cam Treloar and his nous and experience came in handy for the visitors as they tried to hold out a pack that was firmly on the front foot. Will Miller was a vital scavenger at the breakdown and Tala Gray’s ability to turn defence into attack with a powerful line bust was also a handy string to the Eagles’ bow.

Restricted: Queensland Country fullback Todd Winkley was given little time and space to make inroads
Photo: QRU Media Unit

After 65 minutes, the Eagles rang the changes with Duncan Chubb, Will Weeks and Clay Brodie forming a new look front row and 2013 NSW Country Player of the Year, Paulie Tuala, giving Gray a well earned rest. The introduction of Chubb in particular, made an immediate impact at scrum time, the Southern Districts’ loosehead striking up a rapport with ref Steve Walsh on the rudiments of front row play and being validated with the decision at the next two engagements.

With just over five minutes to play, came the pivotal moment. Queensland worked their way to within 5 metres of the try line before Stephen Hoiles was pinged for offside. Fainga’a took the scrum option but when the ball was wheeled right, Tuala got over it for NSW and ref Walsh whistled Queensland replacement Mitch King for holding on.

It proved to be the home side’s last shot in anger and from a chance to level the scores with a converted try, they suffered a 16pt swing as the Eagles went straight up the other end for the match winner.

A garryowen from Snowden was spilt into the hands of Samu Wara, who was on for captain Matt Carraro, and the Western Force centre offloaded for Miller to carry into traffic and wait for the cavalry to arrive. When they did, flyhalf Sam Windsor showed wonderful awareness to surprise everyone with an inch perfect kick to the opposite corner for Pat Dellit to dot down and seal victory.

Kellaway put the icing on the cake when he intercepted a wide pass in the final minute to race 60 metres and go under the posts for his hat-trick and after two games, two wins and 68pts, it is the Country Eagles that are flying the flag for New South Wales.

Charles Sturt University NSW Country Eagles 37 (Andrew Kellaway 3, Stephen Hoiles, Pat Dellit tries; Sam Windsor 3 cons, Darcy Etrich con) defeated Bond University Queensland Country 13 (Tom Pincus, Rubin Fuimaono tries; Tom Pincus con)