Capras’ under-21 coach Kane Hardy impressed with his players’ hunger to win

‘Hunger to win’: Capras under-21 coach Kane Hardy nominates the players who stood out in their season-opening come-from-behind win.

The CQ Capras have three teams in the top two of their respective statewide rugby league competitions after the under-21s won their opening round clash for the first time in five years.

It was a great weekend for the club, with its four teams winning away.

The men held on to top spot in the Hostplus Cup with a 32-12 win over the Ipswich Jets in Round 3.

The women came from behind to score a gritty 8-4 win over the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, which has them second on the BMP Premiership ladder after two rounds.

The under-21s kicked off their season with a 40-12 win over Ipswich to be second on the Hastings Deering Colts competition.

The under-18s proved too good for the Northern Pride, registering a 36-10 win which has them eighth in the 15-team Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup after six rounds.

Centre Coby Williamson was outstanding for the Capras under-21s in their season-opening victory.

Capras’ under-21s coach Kane Hardy was pleased with how his players got back into the game after a slow start.

Poor completions contributed to them trailing 12-10 at half-time but they improved on that in the second half, putting on five unanswered tries in the notable victory.

Centre Coby Williamson scored a hat-trick in an inspired performance, while winger Jye Callagher kicked six of the team’s seven conversions.

Hardy was impressed with his players’ drive and determination.

“I have to give the boys credit. Being down at half-time, they could have rolled over but they had that hunger to win and got the job done in the second half,” he said.

“We weren’t not confident of winning… it was just a matter of when we got things right.

Prop Ilami Buli put in a strong showing.

“It’s been five years since the 21s have won in Round 1 and winning that one was among the goals we’ve set ourselves for the season.

“The boys will take a lot of confidence out of that and especially since we’re playing at home this weekend.”

Hardy said Williamson was huge, proving almost unstoppable every time he got his hands on the ball.

He credited five-eighth Marcus Tanner for helping spark the team’s second-half resurgence with his searching runs and pin-point passing.

Hardy also “could not speak highly enough” of his forward pack, both those who started and those who came off the bench.

Lock Sam Strohfeldt was one of the team’s best.

“Sam Strohfeldt was really tough through the middle and Ilami Buli was dominant early and is only going to get bigger and better with every game,” he said.

“Jeremy McLachlan and Mitchell Leard-Lamont brought a lot of purpose with their hard carries and were great defensively.”

Hardy said he was excited about what his squad could achieve this year.

“There’s a lot of positives we can take out of that game and once they put it all together, it’s going to be a big season for these boys.”

CQ Capras’ results

Hostplus Cup: CQ Capras 32 (Brandon Roberts 2, Jamie Hill, Jonus Pearson, Lachlan Hubner, Cooper Marshall tries; Trey Browne 4 goals) def Ipswich Jets 12 (Ngangarra Barker, Ratu Jope Rotavisoro, Dominic Macumboy tries) at North Ipswich Reserve.

BMD Premiership: CQ Capras 8 (Ta Steere try; Mariah Storch 2 goals) def Wynnum Manly Seagulls 4 (Tawana Togo try) at BMD Kougari Oval.

Hastings Deering Colts: CQ Capras 40 (Coby Williamson 3, Brandon Clarke, Mitchell Leard-Lamont, Marcus Tanner, Tate Beak tries; Jye Callagher 6 goals) def Ipswich Jets 12 (Cameron Bundock, Kedan Chan-Tung tries; Travis Field 2 goals) at North Ipswich Reserve.

Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup: CQ Capras 36 (William Lewis 2, Carter Wight 2, Mack Nixon, Callan Campbell, Tana Martin tries; Tana Martin 4 goals) def Northern Pride 10 (Kaleb Eaton, Joseph Pearson tries; Cameron Nelson goal) at Barlow Park.