MEREWETHER coach Tony Munro described it as a good, old-fashioned "arm wrestle".
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Last year's grand finalists and 2022 premiers opened this year's Hunter Rugby Union season with a narrow 18-17 win against Hamilton at Passmore Oval on Saturday, sealed with a late try in the corner.
"It was just an arm wrestle. They scored first, we got a penalty and scored to go ahead 8-7, then they came back," Munro told the Newcastle Herald.
"It was just a tough, grinding game. Very physical. They used a lot of their big, ball runners and we had to keep knocking them over.
"Got a little sniff down the left edge right at the death and big Josh Fisher went over in the corner after a nice break from Lachy Milton."
Also on Saturday, title holders Maitland beat hosts University 26-11 and Wanderers easily accounted for Southern Beaches 58-10 at Ernie Calland Oval.
In the women's competition Wanderers, Nelson Bay, Maitland and Merewether all posted first-round wins on Saturday.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
