Eagles ride thermal to victory in final quarter
AN extraordinary final quarter surge by Wanderers carried them to a 29-point win over Waratahs in yesterday’s NTFL match at TIO Stadium.
The Eagles chipped, fumbled and stumbled through the first three quarters before the inspired play of Josh Cubillo, Mitchell Taylor and Brad Vassal saw them fly to a 12.8 (80) to 7.9 (51).
Waratahs looked the better side in a scrambling game until the last change, with the poise of Michael Handby, Jake Smart and Justin Beugelaar major factors.
A facial injury to hard man Luke Harder early in the game and Jacob Schaper’s broken collarbone stalled their progress, allowing the fleet- footed Eagles to run over the top of them from late in the third quarter. Eagle Daniel Motlop was involved in the Schaper incident, although no report emerged from what looked a legitimate shepherd off the ball.
‘‘ It was good to run the game out after our last two, when we beat Districts just and fell over against Saints,’’ Motlop said.
‘‘ We’ve just got to keep working because we know we’ve got a long way to go still. But things are looking positive with a lot of ins still to come to the club.’’
Taylor’s run and ability to back himself when Tahs went forward proved a major launching pad for Wanderers, who struggled to find any open space against a close checking Tahs.
The contested ball became a decisive factor, with several big packs developing from Tahs’ defensive work and refusal to let Wanderers run into space. But the effort told on Tahs when Wanderers found their legs and confidence, booting 7.2 to one point in a last quarter coach Paul Motlop will want to bottle and show players when making a point.