Tallon Smith

Stingrays of Shellharbour have started life under new first grade co-coach Mathew Burke in the best possible fashion after defeating reigning premiers Kiama 28-16 in the final game of the Group 7 Magic Round at Kiama Showground on Saturday evening. 

With a whopping nine new players added to the squad following last season’s first week finals exit, the Stingrays gelled well to secure the 12-point victory with a five tries to three performance.

After securing his first victory as co-coach of the side, Burke said that he was happy with the performance but is mindful that it is one game at the start of a long season.

“Over the moon, up against the defending premiers at home, there’s no better way to start than knocking them off, but it doesn’t stop there, we’ve just got to keep building now,” he said.

After heading to the break level at 12-all, the Stingrays outscored their opponents three tries to one in the second stanza, thanks to four-pointers from Dom Stephens, Dylan Hardy and Trey Barlow, while Jake Stig kicked four goals in a strong start to the year with the boot.

Burke said the key was improved discipline later in the match, as well as strong defensive resolve under pressure.

“We just had to stop the penalties, we were giving away a few too many penalties,” he said.

“Our ball control was good, but the penalties could have really hurt us, but we hung in there and we dug deep.”

As for who performed best for his side on the night, Burke said he couldn’t go past man of the match Tommy Eirth, who starred at dummy half in the first up victory for the new-look Stingrays outfit.

“Our young hooker Tommy Eirth, he probably got our man of the match, he was electric, set up a try, was good out of dummy half, made 30 tackles,” he said.

“We had nine new players today from last year, and it was good to knock it over, get it done, and we’ll just keep building and it makes it a lot easier.”

Next up for the Stingrays is a clash with Albion Park, while the Knights will face Jamberoo in round two.

Five-try first half sees Eagles soar to victory in Hutchison’s return

The return of former Dragons, Roosters and Bulldogs halfback Drew Hutchison could not have started any better for the Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles, who piled on five tries in the opening 30 minutes to all but seal victory against the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets.

Such was the dominance of the Eagles that winger Dallas Harrison had four tries before the break.

Hutchison said after a nervous start to the game, a strong performance in the opening quarter washed away any doubts and all but ensured a first up win. 

“It was good, we started really well in the first 20 minutes and eased the nerves a bit,” he said.

“I was pretty nervous before the game sitting there and waiting, and had some weird expectations, but as the game got on I felt a bit comfier, and I think we played a really good 20 minutes there at the start.”

During the Eagles’ strong start to the game, one particular area Hutchison dominated was in distributing the ball and choosing the right option on backline shifts, which he did time and again.

When asked if he felt like he had more time given the difference in speed between the NRL and Group 7, the 88-game NRL veteran said that it all came down to momentum and go forward from the side’s big men.

“It’s a hard question to answer, the way our middles played today, they created that time, but then I felt when things weren’t going our way, the time sort of goes again, so it’s largely a result of how our team’s going where you get that time from,” Hutchison said.

Though Nowra-Bomaderry were pretty much consigned to defeat thanks to the Eagles’ explosive opening, there were plenty of positives for the side later in the game.

The Jets won the second half 12-10, and star recruit Ryan James crossed for a try in his return to the club after a successful stint at Shellharbour Sharks, capping off a relatively strong performance for the strike centre.

Berry on the board in after holding off Milton-Ulladulla in thriller

The Berry-Shoalhaven Heads Magpies started their season with a valuable two competition points after holding off the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs in a thriller 28-26.

It could have been a draw if not for a missed conversion after the Bulldogs scored on full-time, only for the Magpies players to celebrate in the in-goal as the kick sailed wide.

Magpies five-eighth Tyson Walker said the victory was a big one for the club to start the season, ending a drought in season openers for the club.

“That win is really key for us, I think it was mentioned, we haven’t won a round one game in over four or five years, so to get a win in round one really sets the tone for our season and promising things to come,” he said.

After leading for the majority of the match, thanks in part to a hat-trick from 17-year-old back rower Taj Barrett, Berry survived the late scare to take home the win.

When asked about the ending to the match, Walker said that while it wasn’t ideal, the Magpies put themselves in a position for luck to favour them.

“We were in front for most of the game and then we let them in with a sniff and they nearly came to get us in the end,” he said.

“We were just good enough and lucky enough to hold on and get the two points.

“Lucky for us it [the conversion] didn’t go through.”

The Magpies will face arch rivals Gerringong at home this Sunday, while the Bulldogs will face the Jets at Bomaderry.

Lions roar in early statement win over Warilla in Gorillas’ first grade return

If there were any doubts about Gerringong being a contender in Group 7 this year, they were quickly washed away after a strong 46-0 win over Warilla in the penultimate game of the night.

Seven different tryscorers crossed the line for the Lions, with back rower Jake Taylor bagging a double in the shutout victory.

The match was a tough test for Warilla first up following their return to first grade, facing up against one of the powerhouse sides of the competition with a point to prove after losing their crown last season.

However, with a long way to go this year, there is still plenty of time for the Gorillas to gel and aim for their first win after a year out of the top grade last season.

Sharks start season strongly with win over Superoos

After an off-season full of departures and a handful of new signings, the Shellharbour Sharks showed they are still a force to be reckoned with this season after scoring a 30-4 victory over the Jamberoo Superoos in the opening match of the day.

Fullback Jacob Seabrook was the star of the show, scoring the opening try of the match and kicking five goals for a 14-point haul that continued his strong form from the pre-season.

Next up for the Sharks is a twilight local derby against Warilla at Cec Glenholmes Oval on Saturday, while Jamberoo will host Kiama.