HAMILTON coach Marty Berry doesn't expect the Hawks to be playing the attractive brand of rugby he wants until the end of the season, maybe even next year.
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But the former All Black now knows they have a plan-B they can fall back on when required.
Hamilton produced a clinical display of wet-weather rugby to overpower Nelson Bay 40-17 at a soggy Passmore Oval on Saturday.
The short passing and tip-ons between the forwards and expansive running game were shelved and replaced by a route-one approach.
With a dominant scrum providing the launch pad, the Hawks played tighter and kicked for territory.
"We had a plan B that we went to due to the conditions," Berry said. "We were a bit more conservative than we normally play. There was still good rugby played at times. I was pretty happy. "
Lock Gareth Tilse burrowed over after a series of pick and drives and barnstorming centre Billy Clay crashed over one pass off the ruck as the home side opened a 14-5 break into the wind.
The second half was more of the same, except Hamilton used the wind to pin the Bay in their own half.
Prop Lachlan Hodges powered over and winger Zachery Leyden strolled in, on one of the few occasions the ball was shifted wide, to open a 26-5 gap.
The Gropers, led by Adam Edwards, Chad Northcott and Charles Fielder, tried to lift the visitors, who got back to 26-10. But two late tries to Tom Coupe ended any chance of a Gropers revival.
The win over the Bay followed a 34-25 triumph over Singleton. Before that they had dropped three straight.
"Everyone at the club has been positive. We didn't panic, that's for sure," Berry said.
"We are continuing to work on skills and the type of rugby we want to play. Our biggest problem has been a lack of patience. Being a back, I like everyone touching the ball. I don't like rucks. I like continuity. It is about pass selection- when to pass and when not to pass in contact.
"If it is not natural to a player, they can get it wrong. It will take time to get it in to their DNA. It might not happen this year, it could be next year. We still want to get results. But to create a really good style of rugby might take a while."
At Townson Oval, Merewether came back from 24-19 down early in the second half to beat Southern Beaches 34-24 and keep their perfect record in tact.
The visitors, with the wind at their back in the first half, dominated possession and territory and were rewarded with three tries.
"It was a different type of test for us," Merewether coach Jamie Lind said. "Beaches recycled possession well and held on to the ball for long periods of the game. They would have had 70 per cent of possession.
"We are not a team which tries to collect phases. We want to use the footy when we have got it. If there were stats taken, we would have a lot more run metres. We scored a couple of tries out wide in pretty ordinary conditions."
Elsewhere, Fijian flyer Slili Are crossed for six tries and teenage winger ran in four as Singleton demolished lake Macquarie 97-0 at Walters Park.
Wanderers led 19-0 at half-time on the way to a 29-5 victory over University at No.2 Sportsground.
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
