THE Parkes Boars have got their New Holland Cup premiership defence off to the perfect start, comfortably accounting for Mudgee in Round 1 before thrashing Narromine to the tune of forty points on Saturday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 47-7 scoreline in favour of the Boars probably wasn't entirely indicative of the 80 minute contest, but coach Josh Miles will take it everyday of the week after the side's sluggish start.
"It was a good win for us, I definitely wasn't expecting to win by forty points against Narromine but we will absolutely take it," said Miles.
"It took us awhile to get into both halves, perhaps a bit of complacency on our part, but it's only Round 2 so we have a lot of time to improve and get that right."
As the game wore on, the experienced Parkes scrum started to get quite dominant, even pushing the Gorillas back on a few set pieces - laying the platform for the Boars signature style of running rugby, something Miles was almost a little surprised by.
"I was really pleased we were able to hold our own against a really good Narromine scrum.
"We're really lucky that we have a fair bit of depth this year, particularly in the back line, and I thought our back three were all fantastic," said Miles.
One of those players, Luke Hitchcock, set up a try with a spectacular 60 metre grubber-and-chase that saw him beat four players on the sideline and race under the posts before unselfishly handing off to Ben Ryan to put the ball down.
Hitchcock, Matt Hunter, Freddie Tupo and Aiden Snook were just four of a fair few new faces in the maroon and black, and Miles is very happy with the way those boys have integrated themselves into the side.
"Hitchcock has been a really good pickup for us while Hunter has come back after a break and shown he has absolutely still got it."
READ MORE SPORTS STORIES:
Tupo in particular was particularly good playing outside centre, with speed and agility that belies his big frame - and when he gets on a roll he is almost impossible to stop, as his opposite number discovered when Tupo scored a try in the 28th minute.
The Boars have a bye this weekend before heading to Bathurst to take on CSU, where a crowd of well over 1000 is expected for their Old Boys day - giving the club a taste of a finals atmosphere.
Best and Fairest votes
- 3 votes: Matt Hunter
- 2 votes: Freddie Tupo
- 1 vote: Harry Middleton
- Players player: Matt Hunter
Parkes Boars 47 (Luke Bevan 2, Ben Ryan, Luke Hitchcock, Freddie Tupo, Aiden Snook, Josh Miles tries; Luke Bevan 6 goals) defeated Narromine 7
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
Bookmark www.parkeschampionpost.com.au
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
