Eastwood v Randwick
With the rain a constant throughout the match, staying on their feet and keeping the ball in hand proved a constant battle for both sides. But Eastwood looked the better team in the wet, with the forwards taking control of the ball and the backs kicking for good distance. Although Randwick fought back in the second half, the Galloping Greens were unable to end Eastwood’s dominant run, losing 29 to 7.
Making his first start since the start of last season, fit-again Eastwood hooker Damien Fitzpatrick said, “It was pretty tough out there. But the good thing was we knew the conditions were going to be like this, it’s rained all week so we prepared for the conditions. It wasn’t really a spectator game, but we’re happy with the win.”
Eastwood’s dominance gave the Galloping Greens little chance of points in the first period, as they spent it camped in their own half. With the Woodies piling on the pressure and continually battering the Greens’ defence, a try seemed inevitable and came when a turnover resulted in Mark Frost crossing the line for the Woodies’ first points. Soon after, Pierre Holla added a penalty in front and minutes later a TMO decision saw Hugh Roach score the Woodies’ second try, taking the half-time score to 15-0.
The Woodies’ dominance continued after the break with captain Hugh Perrett crossing the line less than 10 minutes into the half. Although the rain continued to fall, the Woodies managed to add a bonus point try through Cam Mitchell, who made the most of the waterlogged pitch to slide in from more than 5m out and take the lead to 29-0.
With only 20 minutes left in the match, the Galloping Greens surged back, making quick metres down field to set up an attack only metres from the Woodies’ line. Minutes later Drew Mitchell took on the defence, beating two and pushing back another two defenders to score Randwick’s only try of the match. The Galloping Greens continued to fight but a denied try in the last minutes and a lost ball only metres from the try line saw them fall short and Eastwood earn yet another bonus-point win.
Eastwood 29 (Mark Frost, Cam Mitchell, Hugh Perrett, Hugh Roach tries; Pierre Holla 3 cons, pen) d Randwick 7 (Drew Mitchell try; Harrison Boileau con)
