Eagles starting to lift
IT WAS another loss but the battling Gold Coast Eagles have made noticeable progress, while Surfers Paradise have delivered a significant statement.
The Eagles went down to Helensvale 32-12 in Gold Coast District Rugby Union action on Saturday, in a far better display than when they were thrashed 66-5 by the Hogs back in Round 2.
“Yeah, it was a step forward,” said Eagles coach Jai Johnson, who praised the consistently outstanding performances of captain Nixon Taramai.
“I would just love to be able to put the same team on the paddock each weekend.”
The Eagles headed into halftime at 12-12 before fading in the second term in familiar circumstances.
“Fitness is probably a big part of it, but I think just attention to detail when they’re under fatigue,” Johnson said.
“It’s probably more the headspace and the belief. We just need to get a win on the board.
“Once we can get that one win, well, who knows what will happen after that.”
Their mission to notch that first win won’t get any easier in the short term, with their next fixture against inform Surfers Paradise.
The Dolphins produced a defence-inspired 19-12 upset on Saturday to condemn archrivals and reigning champions Griffith University Colleges to their first defeat in 2019.
Surfers entered the match with a 4-1 record but had struggled to put away lowerranked sides.
The result now means Colleges, Helensvale and Surfers are all within five competition points of each other.
“Both teams played really well, it’s just that we capitalised when we got the opportunity,” said Dolphins cocoach Rangi Joseph.
“I think the pressure was more on them, not so much on us.
“We went in there with no expectation to win but more as a learning curve of what we can do to prepare towards the end of the season.
“To come out with it, yeah we’re really happy but we’re realistic about it as well … it’s only the start of the season.”
At Nerang, the Bulls ran away with a 43-12 win over Bond Pirates.