Match Report Round 7
Easts Tigers 35 defeated Brothers 17 at David Wilson Field
THE table-topping Stara Easts Tigers announced themselves as genuine contenders for the 2025 StoreLocal Hospital Cup crown with a 35-17 triumph over the previously unbeaten Brothers in a Round 7 blockbuster.
The Tigers are the only undefeated team left in the competition as they took their peerless win-loss record to 6-0 in front of a heaving crowd at David Wilson Field on a pulsating Past Players Day.
The smiles on the faces of the Easts Alumni said it all as old Tigers in a variety of blue and gold kit from their cherished glory days at Bottomley Park beamed with pride post-match with the most commonly asked question being, “how good was that?”.
The final score does not indicate how close the top-of-the-table tussle was as Easts only led 21-17 with 14 minutes left on the clock after a see-sawing battle befitting a contest between the best two sides in the 2025 tilt.
The arm-wrestle broke wide open when Tigers co-captain Will Sankey swooped on a loose ball in his own half in the 66th minute and strode away from the hapless Brothers cover defence like a gazelle in the African savanna.
After an hour of manfully battling Brothers in the set piece and open play, the classy lock showed the reflexes of a cat to take possession then incredible athleticism to sprint away to score next to the posts with an air-punch celebration delighting the loud and proud Tigers faithful at the cricket ground end.
It was the play that broke the back of Brothers.
Easts dominated possession and field position for the remainder of the match and their late superiority was rewarded when replacement forward James Livingstone crashed over in the 80th minute to put the icing on the cake for the competition leaders.
Livingstone was injected into the match on the hour to replace powerhouse no.8 Nuku Swerling who crossed for two tries in the first half to help the home side grab a 21-12 advantage at the break.
Swerling’s first five-pointer came from another expertly executed rolling maul from the Tigers pack in the 20th minute and backed it up with a bullocking barge from the back of the scrum nine minutes later when he treated the Brothers blindside defence as a speedbump.
Instant cult figure Swerling was happy to accept the offer of some hot chips and chicken nuggets from his loyal fan club from the under 11 Easts Black juniors after his line-bending and bone-rattling shift came to an end.
The reigning premiers were reduced to 13 men late in the first half with two rapid-fire yellow cards and the home side was also depleted just before halftime after a messy kick-off contest saw Easts winger BJ Oates given a 10 minute breather.
Brothers scored the first try of the match through Theo Fourie but the Tigers quickly hit back after arresting the early momentum that belonged to the Brethren with Easts co-captain Eli Pilz scoring after a blindside dart.
Apart from his trademark on-field General heroics, Pilz was also perfect with his trusty right boot, slotting five from five conversion attempts to pile the pain on Brothers who had their kicking woes as they only managed to convert one of their three tries.
The visitors kept coming at Easts all day with tries either side of halftime keeping Brothers well in the hunt but the Tigers were able to keep them at bay with stoic defence then kick away by taking their opportunities in attack.
The Tigers will travel to Sunnybank to take on the Dragons in Round 8 before hosting GPS at Bottomley Park on May 31 on the club’s Ladies Day.
