Eagles soar past Danes
Highfields claim first win in style
RUGBY LEAGUE: A dominant display has seen Highfields get their 2018 account under way with a 34-0 victory over Pittsworth at Kuhls Rd.
Coach Gus McKellar said he was proud of the way his team responded after a heartbreaking loss to Warwick in the opening round of the TRL season.
“Our energy was really good this week. The players were a bit dirty on themselves for the 20-minute period last week, so our opening 20-minutes was a focus,” McKellar said.
The side welcomed back five-eighth Nick Bainbridge, who created a number of opportunities for his side with his willingness to attack the defensive line.
“He’s a quality player. He was still a little bit crook because he had the flu pretty bad,” McKellar said.
“But he stamped his authority on the game and we’re really happy to have him back.”
After a fast-paced start to the match characterised by tight football in the middle of the park and hard-hitting defence, it was the home side that drew first blood.
A deft grubber by hooker Nathan Smith was pounced on by Sam Bielefeld inches inside the dead-ball line in the 13th minute.
That sparked a run of possession for the Eagles, who crossed for three tries in 10 minutes through Blake Appo, Sean Hamel and Campbell Stewart, setting up an 18-0 half-time advantage.
The second stanza commenced in the worst possible way for the Danes, as Highfields worked the ball up-field from the kick-off, before Zack Loxley burst through the line to score.
Further tries to interchange Josh Everett and Bainbridge helped put the game out of reach of Pittsworth in the middle stages of the second half.
■ Dalby backed up their first-round win with a strong 32-6 victory over Warwick at home.
Despite coming into the game with a number of injuries to key players, the Diehards were able to capitalise on a positive start to the game to get the upper hand.
Four-pointers to Alexander Ambia, Christopher Wilkes and captain Steve Franciscus helped them to a 14-0 lead at the break.
A try and conversion to Cowboys winger Kai Etherington brought the deficit back to 14, but Dalby was able to put their foot down when it mattered, with tries to Jason Wardrop and Brayden Alexander in the final 10 minutes lifting their side and maintaining their unbeaten start to their premiership defence.