Melbourne Rising have kept their slim NRC finals hopes alive with a comprehensive 49-7 demolition of a disappointing Queensland Country.
It was the Rising’s first victory of the season and while they still find themselves rooted to the bottom of the NRC ladder, they’re now only one competition point behind the sixth place Queensland Country.
Country entered the clash desperate to rebound from last week’s loss to Sydney. Victory would have placed the Queensland outfit on the cusp of the top four but they never stood a chance, blown away by a dominant Rising set piece.
The Victorian mining hub of Ballarat proved the perfect setting for Rising prop Va’auli Fa’amausili, everything the giant prop touched turned to gold in a glittering first half performance that propelled the home side to a 14-0 halftime lead.
And even when Fa’amausili left the field just after the break, there was no respite for the Country front row. Tetera Faulkner entered in his place and the veteran Wallaby prop dominated the scrum earning the Rising backs enough ball to open the floodgates to score another five tries.
A quick tap in the sixth minute by Fa’amausili paved the way for the Rising to cross for the opening try. It took the majority of the Country pack to halt the 145kg wrecking ball short of the line but flyhalf Rodney Iona utilised the extra numbers with a pin-point cutout pass to an unmarked Justin Marsters.
The fullback was over again 12 minutes later when against the run of play Semisi Tupou latched onto a poor Country pass. The young Rising skipper sent James So’oialo clear and Marsters arrived with the cover defence to ground a perfect pop-up pass.
So’oialo converted for a 14-0 lead on a day that saw the centre land a perfect seven-from-seven from the tee.
Inspired by prop Harry Hoopert, Country commenced the second half with several controlled phases and edged to within seven points following a clever try to Rohan Saifoloi, the centre racing clear from a clever one-arm offload from winger Jock Campbell.
The turning point came with half an hour on the clock as Country - trailing by seven points - attacked the Rising line. But Faulker earned his side another scrum penalty and the mercurial Harry Potter brought the magic.
Barely on the park for 30 seconds, the substitute winger steamed onto a Rising clearing kick and from halfway, chipped ahead and regathered in traffic to slide over next to the posts for one of the tries of the season.
Two minutes later Faulkner forced another Country scrum infringement and the Rising pack moved as one towards the tryline before Theo Strang fired a bullet-ball to Iona to score down the short side in the right corner.
FULL REPLAY
At 28-7, there was no coming back for Country. Potter put a foot in touch to be denied a double but Moli Sooaemalelagi wasn’t to be upstaged, the replacement forward crossing off a long lineout throw with his first touch of the match.
Tupou finished the demolition scoring twice in the closing minutes, the best a long range effort from a Marsters break.
The Rising take on Sydney next week while Queensland Country will look to rectify their season against Brisbane City.
RESULT
Melbourne Rising 49
Tries: Marsters 2, Tupou 2, Potter, Iona, Sooaemalelagi
Cons: So’oialo 7
Queensland Country 7
Tries: Saifoloi
Cons: Saifoloi
