Easts dominate in pre-season comp | Bundaberg Rugby League | NRL Rugby in Bundaberg

EASTS are gathering momentum in the lead-up to the March 27 Bundaberg Rugby League opener, dominating Burnett teams in the Eidsvold Clash for Cash.

New coach Josh Garden led his team to convincing victories over Wondai, Mundubbera and Cherbourg in the knock-out round robin tournament.

The win comes after Easts gave Avondale Tigers a 52-12 towelling in a pre-season trial match late last month.

“Notch up two wins from two campaigns for coach Garden,” he said.

“I’m feeling all right.”

Up against the hard men of Burnett bush football, Garden said his troops were elated but a little sore and tender.

“We knew it was going to be tough but they played harder than I expected,” he said.

It was good solid football and when you’d cooled down from the last match you had to run on into the next,” he said.

“There are a few boys that are hurting.”

Easts started strong from the outset, keeping Wondai scoreless in the first half of the first game and winning comfortably 22-4.

A few early mistakes in the next game against Mundubbera allowed the North Burnett battalion to notch up some easy points but Easts found form and charged to a convincing 24-6 victory.

The decider against Cherbourg drew winces from spectators with bone-crunching forward pack charges and merciless hit-ups, but Easts maintained composure and managed to romp home 24-0.

Gardner said the whitewash scorecard failed to reflect the intensity of the football played.

“We won pretty easily in the end, but we had to play hard to earn it,” he said.

New recruits, brothers John and Boyd Walker, played well and teamed up with Easts Nathan Moore to keep constant pressure on the rival teams.

Easts will clash with Wests next Saturday, March 27, in the first round of the Bundaberg Rugby League competition.