Spot the Ball: Eagles enforcer Tala Gray was man of the match but couldn’t stop Brisbane City’s march to the Grand Final

by Paul Cook –

Brisbane City are the first team into the 2014 NRC Grand Final after weathering a gallant challenge from NSW Country Eagles to run out 32-26 winners in Gosford last night.

After opening the scoring with a try in the first two minutes, City were overrun by an Eagles side who rallied when Will Miller was sent to the bin, profiting from some Brisbane errors to build a 26-16 lead at the break. But the second half saw the visitors with the benefit of a swirling Central Coast breeze at their backs as they scored two more tries and kept the Eagles scoreless to set up a final showdown with the winner of today’s second semi-final between Melbourne Rising and Perth Spirit.

City skipper Dave McDuling, one of the best on ground, was justifiably pleased with the spirit shown by his troops. “I’m really proud of the boys, that’s what semi-final football is all about,” he told Fox Sports at the final whistle. “We just spoke about attitude, staying calm and working hard for each other – before the game and at half-time. We never mentioned the result, we just spoke about working hard and the rest will come with it and I thought it was a great effort to come back.”

By contrast, Eagles skipper Brendan McKibbin cut a dejected figure. He knew the game was there for the taking. “We certainly didn’t help ourselves there, especially in our attacking breakdown,” he said. “We gave away plenty of penalties and our support play was pretty slow to the ball which doesn’t help. We forced a lot of turnovers and we got some points from that in the first half but unfortunately, we couldn’t back that up in the second.”

It was a nightmare start for the hosts, failure to gather in the kick-off led to City regathering possession and Nick Frisby unleashing his forwards on a barrage of pick and drives. When the ball went to the wing, Chris Feaunati span in a tackle to fire a pass off to fullback Brando Va’alu who strode over with only one minute and thirty seconds on the clock.

City skipper Dave McDuling gave another standout performance to lead his side home – Photo: Sportography

But, in keeping with the try-fest that is the NRC, it took only three minutes for the Eagles to hit back. A powerful hit-up from Ben Matwijow got them over the gain line and earned a penalty and it was the young lock who then gathered in the subsequent 10 metre lineout before the ball went through the hands for Sam Windsor to dummy and slice his way through.

The Country boys thought they were in for a second five minutes later when Kuki Ma’afu charged down a midfield kick, raced onto the loose ball and headed for the corner. However, showing his worth in defence as well as attack, Va’alu came up with a try-saving lunge as Ma’afu prepared to dive over the chalk, knocking the ball out of the Eagles’ centre’s hands and over the dead ball line.

The near miss didn’t halt the Eagles aspirations as they continued to recover from that early setback and it wasn’t long before they did cross for a second. A mistake from Samu Kerevi – a short grubber from a 22 restart that went straight into the hands of the waiting Matwijow – gave the Eagles a gift of field position and they used it well, stretching the City line for Ed Stubbs to put Samu Wara over in the corner.

While the law innovations adopted in the NRC have undoubtedly led to more running rugby, more tries, more ball in play time and less kicks at goal, one by-product has been the increased importance of the driving maul from a lineout. With only 2pts on offer for a penalty but a potential 8pts for a converted try, teams have been kicking to touch and marching their forwards towards the line en masse and Brisbane City are one of the best exponents.

So it was then, that they used this significant weapon to try and level matters from their next visit to the Eagles’ 22. Drawing a few penalties, City were firmly on the front foot when Jake Schatz appeared to have grounded with a little help from his friends but the crafty hand of Brendan McKibbin sandwiched ball and turf.

However, City’s next drive panicked flanker Will Miller into an illegal strip and the 20-year-old went to the bin, granting City a 10 minute window of opportunity. It took them a while to profit but when they did, it was another sign of the pressure the City pack was beginning to exert on their hosts. Referee Angus Gardner was a constant flea in the ear of the Eagles front row as they began to creak at scrum time and after another couple of collapses, he duly ran under the posts to signal a penalty try.

If they were hoping to sustain their dominance with Miller out of action, City were caught cold from the restart as the Eagles decided to fight fire with fire. A Sam Croke take at the lineout enabled them to instigate their own drive and when the pack was finally splintered, no.8 Ita Vaea had enough momentum – and size at 119kgs – to get the green light from the TMO and restore their lead.

City’s hopes took another dash when the influential Frisby was forced from the field just after the half hour. The scrumhalf had injured an ankle in the build-up to the Eagles’ second try and played on valiantly for 10 minutes before finally succumbing, replaced by Jack Mullins.

Will Miller returned to the fray with his side having escaped relatively unscathed from his enforced absence and five minutes before the break, the Eagles extended their lead and again, City were the architects of their own downfall. Pivot Jake McIntyre was probing for an outside runner on the halfway line but didn’t see Ed Stubbs loitering with intent and promptly fired a pass straight into his hands, the Eagles centre galloping home to open up a 12pt advantage.

Ben Matwijow (skull cap) was in the thick of the action all night in what was a brutal encounter at the breakdown

Having had the wind at their backs in the opening stanza at Central Coast Stadium, the Eagles returned to the field unduly wary of both the weather and a disgruntled City side keen to strike early. As a result, the home side raised their intensity levels another couple of notches and spent the first 10 minutes of the half taking turns to smash anything in blue that moved.

Tala Gray had already been a standout in the match with his work rate and personal show reel of bellringing tackles and as he continued in a similarly aggressive vein, he was ably supported by Vaea, Miller, Matwijow and Duncan Chubb. Time and again they flooded the breakdown and outmuscled a pack containing two Wallabies and three Super Rugby representatives, while the fact that City dangermen Samu Kerevi and Chris Kuridrani have only just been mentioned is credit to the linespeed, ferocity and consistency of Country centres Stubbs and Ma’afu.

However, with a place in the title decider within their grasp, the Eagles blew another gift try from yet another charge down in the 5oth minute and it proved to be pivotal. Sam Croke choked McIntyre’s space again and forced a rebound but Windsor knocked on as he attempted to ground the rebounding pill and their profligacy came back to bite them with immediate effect. City ran back a kick from Windsor with interest, their strike players finally cutting loose and a perfectly weighted wide pass from Kerevi allowed Kuridrani to skate around one defender and feed the supporting Va’alu for his second.

The game was completely turned on its head when City scored again a minute later and, once more, it wasn’t an advert for kicking when in possession. With virtually his first touch, Eagles’ replacement David Horwitz attempted a grubber in behind the City line but instead found the waiting Toby White, who followed up his block to run home and restore City to the lead at 32-26.

Buoyed by the input of their replacements, City were now in control as the Eagles started to look a little tired and ragged. Pinned in their own half, they were losing the battle at the breakdown and being forced into a host of nothing kicks upfield, allowing City to maintain the pressure.

As the game entered the final 10 minutes, the Eagles were still only a converted try from victory but as City used McIntyre’s boot to play field position and attempt to shut the game down, chances were few and far between. They had one final opportunity with three minutes remaining, the ubiquitous Gray burning off a couple of tacklers as he crossed halfway but as he neared the City 22 with numbers on either side, he rushed his pass and found an opposition jersey instead, and that was very much that.

While City must rest their walking wounded and attempt to refresh themselves in time for a shot at the title next weekend, a superb first NRC season for the Country Eagles has drawn to a frustrating but hugely creditable close.

McInnes Wilson Lawyers Brisbane City 32 (Brando Va’alu 2, Penalty Try, Toby White tries; Jake McIntyre 4 cons) defeated Charles Sturt University NSW Country Eagles 26 (Sam Windsor, Samu Wara, Ita Vaea, Ed Stubbs tries; Sam Windsor 2 cons)