Edkins outstanding in Eastern’s win

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 15

Edkins outstanding in Eastern’s win

If Barry Edkins, the Eastern Suburbs loose forward, can maintain his present excellent level of performance when the representative rugby league programme gets under way he must come into strong consideration for the Kiwi tour of Australia later this year. Edkins, for the second time in less than three days, was the inspiration behind Eastern s victory on Saturday. He capped another exceptional display by kicking a field goal in the final minute to give Eastern a 20-19 win over Kaiapoi. Last Wednesday evening Edkins had provided 11 points from a try and four goals when Eastern beat Sydenham. On Saturday he contributed a try, five goals and the vital field goal as Eastern recovered from a 7-16 deficit. The late fixture at the Show Grounds was also a closelycontested affair, another indication that even the most highlyrated sides cannot take their opponents lightly this winter. Sydenham was behind in the early stages before eventually wresting a 22-17 victory over Linwood.

In both matches the losing team had the doubtful consolation of having scored more tries than its rival. Goal-kicking played a vital part in the results, Francis Lawrence all but equalling Edkin’s feat with his try and five goals for Sydenham. The “player of the match” awards went to the 18-year-old loose forward, Tony Stanley, who had a most promising premier debut for Kaiapoi, and Paul McCone, whose three tries on the Linwood right wing extended his total to seven in three premiership games. Rather surprisingly, the substitute Sydenham hookers, Paul Atkinson (until he was injured) and Peter Sturgeon, managed to gain more than their share of possession from the scrums. Ironically, it was not until Linwood’s first-choice hooker, Alan Kerr, was placed in the "chillybin” that Sydenham’s ration was cut.

There was little between the sides in the opening quarter, and Linwood made the first decisive move when McCone claimed the first of his tries. He was later to position himself perfectly and make good use of what little room in which he had to move for his other two, and his covering complemented the fine impression he made on attack.

But the bigger Sydenham pack, with Peter Sturgeon, Bryan Mustchin and Dace Schultz having consistent performances, gradually began to swing the balance. Schultz had backed up well for his try, Lawrence nudged Sydenham ahead with a long run and deft change of pace, and Sturgeon was on hand to touch down after his loose forward, Charlie Smith, had pierced the Linwood defensive line with a finely-judged kick ahead.

McCone, just before and soon after the interval, restored some of Linwood’s confidence and narrowed Sydenham’s lead to 15-14. However, astute switching of play by Barry Bigwood and Sturgeon opened a path to the tryline for Mark Vincent to seemingly seal the two competition points for Sydenham.

Linwood’s cause looked bleak when Kerr was given his temporary suspension for punching in a tackle, only for the replacement hooker, Peter Hall, to win the ball from six of the nine scrums which followed. Linwood was then able to reassert some pressure on Sydenham and David Campbell dived over on the right flank for the final points eight minutes from the end. Hall had also been of considerable value to Linwood in the loose, tackling with determination and joining with Rex Dalzell, Paul Truscott and Trevor Wong in surging runs that tested Sydenham around the play-the-balls. If McCone was the best of the backs, Wally Wilson also had an extremely creditable display for Linwood, and Lawrence, Bigwood and Vincent — once he

overcame his handling problems — were evasive in the Sydenham line. Tommy Lightfoot, the Linwood centre, kicked hard and high with his well-directed punts on tlie sixth tackle, and Sydenham had to strengthen its deep defence to counter such tactics. Kaiapoi’s captain-coach, Graeme Cooksley, only just failed to mastermind the defeat of the Eastern club that he served so efficiently until his transfer this season. It must have been a galling experience to watch Edkins, a player whose development had been guided by Cooksley, deprive Kaiapoi of the two premiership points in the last quarter.

Most of the Eastern players seemed to be feeling the effects of the hard match with Sydenham the previous Wednesday night. Edkins was one exception, and Wayne Jeffs and Murray ! French were others who still had j plenty of energy to expend. I Tony Stanley showed distinct (promise as Kaiapoi’s loose forIward, and it was his running I which set up the first of Glen (Turton’s two tries and also the one scored by Wayne Stanley which had Kaiapoi in front, 19-14, with ISmin. to go. It was then that Edkins lifted his level to even greater heights. He darted through for his try, converted it to tie the totals and. after Eastern had held a series of Kaiapoi attacks at bay, it was Edkins who fittingly kicked the field goal in the last positive act of the match. Kaiapoi was unlucky. It made much of the running and lost ground onlv by its concession of penalties in relatively simple kicking positions. Cooksley himself was in fine form, recovering from treatment for an injury to scuttle around on to the blindside and score, while Turton’s backing up. Dale Brown’s hooking prowess, and the contrasting running stvle of Tony Stanley. Kevin Steel. Ray Howard and Jack Clarke had Eastern scrambling to cover. Grant Findlay slipped back into a footballing groove in his debut as Eastern’s player-coach, and John Dromgool ran with de termination on the right wing. But it was Edkins who must again get most of the credit for Eastern having four competition points from its three appearances. The third round will be completed next Wednesday evening when Marist-Western Suburbs and Hornby meet in the main match, Papanui and Addington providing the curtain-raiser.