Greg Davis 10/08/2025

BY GREG DAVIS The Stara Easts Tigers are 80 minutes away from a berth in the 2025 StoreLocal Hospital Cupgrand final after roaring into the major semi-final with a rollicking rollercoaster ride thatfinished with a 50-31 rout of GPS at Yoku Road. The Tigers will now take on Brothers in the major semi-final at Sunnybank this Sunday withthe winner earning a direct ticket to the Hospital Cup’s big dance at Ballymore on 31 August.Wests and Bond will face-off in the sudden-death minor semi-final – a fixture that Eastswere staring down the barrel of after a sluggish start in the Round...

Greg Davis 04/08/2025

BY GREG DAVIS POWERHOUSE no.8 Nuku Swerling returned to his bullocking, bone-crunching andblockbusting best as the Stara Easts Tigers completed a clean sweep of home games in 2025with the 36-21 victory over Sunnybank in Round 17 of the StoreLocal Hospital Cup. Eight times this year, the Tigers crossed the white line onto David Wilson Field and eighttimes, they emerged triumphant. Defending the hallowed home turf at Bottomley Park has been a major focus for the Tigersplayers and coaching staff throughout the campaign and they successfully repelled theireighth visitor with Swerling terrorising the Dragons at regular intervals. After a blistering start...

Greg Davis 13/07/2025

Match Report - Round 15 The Stara Easts Tigers rediscovered their rolling maul mojo and ravenous defensive hunger to revitalise their 2025 campaign with a rough and tumble 26-15 win over Souths in Round 15 of the StoreLocal Hospital Cup. After the 50-31 loss to University in Round 14, Easts needed to provide an emphatic – and immediate – response. And a southside derby between two teams in the top four in front of a healthy crowd at Bottomley Park was the perfect stage to prove the St Lucia shocker was an outlier. If you like big blokes legally bashing...

Greg Davis 06/07/2025

The picturesque University of Queensland campus at St Lucia transformed into a grim School of Hard Knocks for the Stara Easts Tigers in the comprehensive 50-31 loss at the hands of the rampant Red Heavies in Round 14 of the StoreLocal Hospital Cup. Easts have deservedly inhabited the rarefied air of the top of the table for a vast majority of 2025 through the combination of stoic defence and slick attack but the Tigers were found wanting on both sides of the ball against a University side that has struggled for consistency. Coming off the bye in Round 13, the...

Greg Davis 22/06/2025

“Just win, baby” The catchphrase of the late owner of the Oakland/LA/Las Vegas Raiders NFL team Al Davis rang true at Bottomley Park after the Stara Easts Tigers claimed a 45-29 win over Bond University in Round 12 of the StoreLocal Hospital Cup. The colourful and controversial Davis favoured substance over style. Winning was the only thing that mattered. Your job, was to get the job done. The bottom line was the scoreline. Simple. Just like the NFL standings, the Hospital Cup ladder does not contain a column for how attractive a victory appears. Pretty doesn’t count. Gritty does. After...

Greg Davis 15/06/2025

To paraphrase the late, great US singer Meat Loaf, “don’t feel sad, nine out of 10 ain’t bad.’’ The Stara Easts Tigers suffered their first defeat in the StoreLocal Hospital Cup since 10 August 2024 when they fell to a 46-29 loss at the hands of Wests at Sci-Fleet Stadium in Round 11. The nine-game winning streak to open the 2025 title tilt came to an abrupt end for the high-flying Tigers as the Bulldogs piled on five tries after halftime to be the only team to lower Easts’ colours this season. Easts were without injured powerhouse no.8 Nuku Swerling,...

Greg Davis 02/06/2025

Winning ugly can be a thing of beauty. So the 30-17 victory over GPS in atrocious conditions at a rain-lashed David Wilson Field was as pretty as a picture for the Stara Easts Tigers in Round 9 of the 2025 StoreLocal Hospital Cup. The table-topping Tigers reached the halfway mark of the home-and-away season with a perfect 8-0 record but it was not easy against a gallant Gallopers outfit that dominated field position and possession in the last hour of the contest on the back of a glut of penalties. It was a classic wet-weather slugfest on Ladies Day and...

Greg Davis 25/05/2025

Eli Pilz…you little beauty. The inspirational Stara Easts Tigers co-captain produced a series of match-winning heroics to guide his side to a stunning 38-36 victory over Sunnybank in a Round 8 StoreLocal Hospital Cup thriller. With the undefeated Tigers trailing by eight points with four minutes left on the clock, the crafty halfback proceeded to score 10 points via his deadly right boot and sure hands to extend Easts’ winning streak in 2025 to seven games. With time elapsed and the sides locked together at 36-all, Pilz cut a cool, calm and collected figure on the left-hand touchline and slotted...

Greg Davis 17/05/2025

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...

Greg Davis 12/05/2025

The stage is set for a genuine Old Boys Day Bottomley Park blockbuster against Brothers after the Stara Easts Tigers produced a heroic defensive display in the 26-22 victory over Souths in Round 6 of the StoreLocal Hospital Cup. It will be a top-of-the-table clash on David Wilson Field this Saturday when the unbeaten Tigers host the reigning premiers who also boast an undefeated record in 2025 with both sides to take a 5-0 record into the barn burner. They are the only two undefeated teams remaining in the Hospital Cup and have already put a gap between themselves and the rest...