East Campbelltown Eagles prevailed against Thirlmere Roosters 22-12 at Waminda Oval yesterday, but rugby league was the winner.
This was a game between two sides that knew defence was paramount in the conditions.
And that’s exactly what the Eagles and the Roosters served up in this round five Macarthur Conference (Group Six) rugby league premiership clash.
And while the game was played in brilliant sunshine, it was a very different story 24 hours earlier when the rain came down in bucket loads.
Several juniors’ games were somehow played on Saturday, as well as five more on Sunday leading up to the first grade clash.
The result was a very heavy playing field, still wet in patches and muddy in others.
So it was no surprise that the first few minutes of the match consisted of an old fashioned arm wrestle as both sides concentrated on solid defence, with neither taking a backwards step while under attack.
The Eagles were coming into this game seventh on the ladder, with two wins to their credit.
On the other hand the visitors were third on the ladder with one extra win to the Roosters after four rounds of the 2023 premiership.
The home side drew first blood when they went over in the corner for a 4-0 lead, the conversion attempt unsuccessful.
Defence continued to dominate, and it took almost 10 minutes before the Roosters replied with a try of their own, also in the corner.
The visitors also were unsuccessful with the conversion attempt, the score staying at 4-4.
After several waves of attack, the Roosters forced a knock on from the home side 15 metres from the tryline and six minutes out from oranges.
The visitors scored from the first play off the scrum, but again failed to convert, but they did go into the sheds at the break with a slender 8-4 lead.
Eagles, while good in defence, were guilty of going sideways in attack too early in the first 40 minutes.
If they could straighten up a bit in the second half they were a good chance to get the premiership points on offer.
That must have been what coach Richard Barnes said in the dressing room, because they looked much better in that department in the second half.
It took the Eagles a while to convert their effort in to points, because of the Roosters superb defence, but 18 minutes into the second half the home side scored, and along with the conversion, regained the lead 10-8.
A couple of minutes later the Eagles swooped again to score back to back tries and grab a commanding 16-8 lead with 20 minutes left in the game.
When they scored again to go up 22-8, it looked for all money that the game was in the bag.
“We haven’t won yet, there’s too much time left,’’ says Eagles president Daniel Draper when he walks past me, and he was right, because the Roosters score to get within 10 points and with over five minutes still left.
It’s helter skelter attack now and in the mayhem an Eagles player is sinbinned after repeatedly holding down in the tackle.
But there’s only a few seconds to go and his team is leading 22-12, and there goes the final hooter, to a big cheer from the local fans.
This coming Sunday, May 7, Thirlmere Roosters host Campbelltown Collegians in what looks like the match of the round.
But check out the devil’s number in the Saturday game, Oakdale Workers and The Oaks Tigers: Round 6, 6pm on May 6.
RESULTS – ROUND 5
The Oaks Tigers 30 def Narellan Jets 22
Campbelltown City Kangaroos 4 Mittagong Lions 54
Camden Rams 22 Oakdale Workers 24
Picton Magpies 4 Campbelltown Collegians 48
East Campbelltown Eagles 22 def Thirlmere Roosters 12
NEXT WEEK, ROUND 6 – SATURDAY, MAY 6, 6PM
Oakdale Workers v The Oaks Tigers
SUNDAY, MAY 7, 3PM:
Camden Rams v Campbelltown City Kangaroos
Mittagong Lions v East Campbelltown Eagles
Narellan Jets v South West Goannas
Thirlmere Roosters v Campbelltown Collegians
Bye: Picton Magpies
