The Cobar Roosters First Grade side scored their first win of the Christie & Hood Rugby League season on Saturday and they did it in fine style.
The Roosters ran in nine tries in their 46-26 victory over the Coonamble Bears in front of a vocal home crowd on Saturday afternoon at Tom Knight Memorial Oval.
Coonamble had travelled with an understrength side and had to call upon five of their juniors to fill out their First Grade bench for the match.
It was one of those juniors, Nathan Walker, playing in the No 3 jersey, who opened the scoring in Saturday’s game and his try out wide on the wing put the visitors ahead 4-0.
Cobar replied soon after when Ben Simon, playing left centre, burst over to score the first of his three tries of the match and Jay Egan’s successful conversion put the Roosters ahead,
6-4.
Hillam was next to score for the Roosters on the opposite side of the field and Egan’s kick had them ahead 12-4.
Soon after, the Bears’ hooker, Jake Fernando scored and converted his try to close the margin to just two points.
The game remained close for the remainder of the first half.
Mitch Grey ran in a try for Cobar (which Egan converted) to which Isaiah Orcher immediately replied with his try (and Fernando converted).
When the two teams went to the sheds at halftime, the score was 18-16 in Cobar’s favour.
The Roosters came out firing in the second half and, as he has a tendency to do time after time, it was a brilliant sprint down the sideline by Simon that not only inspired the Roosters but also put them in a good field position close to their try line.
After the next play the ball, Roosters Coach Jimmy Neyland scored under the posts which made for a rudimentary conversion for Egan.
Simon crossed twice in the second half; Hillam recorded his second try; and a try each to their fullback Tristan Everett and winger Jesse Hamilton saw the Roosters through to a comprehensive 20 points win.
Egan finished the match with four conversions and Evan Rice added two points to the Roosters’ total after taking over the kicking duties from Egan who went off with an injury.
Following the match Neyland said it had been good to get a win and congratulated his side on a great team effort.
The Roosters have a bye this week.
