Hit them hard and fast, and then hold the line.
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That may not have been coach Steve Hamson's official game plan for Saturday's Oilsplus Cup match against the Coonabarabran Kookas, but that's how the first home match for 2020 played out for the Blayney Rams.
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Within minutes the side had racked up their first of three tries for the day, this one courtesy of Baz Hobby who charged down a kick, gathered the ball up and sprinted full on over the line.
The kick for goal went astray, but those five points put a fire in the Rams belly and soon after Joey Hobby was ducking and weaving on his way to the first of two tries in the same corner of the paddock.
The first didn't take too long to eventuate after the kick.
To their credit the Kookas defence was solid and the Rams were kept well in check until some spirited dodging and weaving from Joey Hobby allowed him to evade his opponent, flick a dummy, and then dive across into the north east corner of KGO.
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Ethan Hobby added two points and the score was a handy 12-0.
All the point-scoring action for the Rams happened in the first 20 minutes of the match.
The Rams' third try, once more by Joey Hobby, was almost an inevitability as the side kept making as many attacks as they could on the line.
The Kookas defence though was strong with Rams player after player being held up tantalisingly close to the try line.
After some quick work by the Rams backs, Hobby was able to replay his earlier try in the corner, bring the scoreboard to 17-0.
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Following was a disconcerting display by the Kookas, notching up two goalless tries and bringing the score at half-time to 17-10.
Steve Hamson said that the second half was a real slugfest.
"I am really happy with the result and the resilience that our guys showed was tremendous," he said.
"Defence is all about what's inside you and you can't coach that or teach it.
"They showed great resolve to defend the lead that they had made in the first half."
This Saturday the Rams will be heading north to take on the Molong Magpies.
Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
