WEEKS on the road have failed to dent the enthusiasm of the Queensland Outback Barbarians who hammered US team Chuckanut Bay in Bellingham, Washington.
The Barbas again drew on its defensive might and the outside backs to keep the home side at bay. Particularly impressive was the Barbas' ability to keep the ball alive in open play and for tackled players to pop up balls from the ground.
The Barbas piled on a staggering 99 points, keeping the 40 strong Chuckanut squad scoreless.
Barbas' second rower and man of the match Tom Robertson (Mount Isa) was inspirational with his big runs and strong defense. His hard work was well rewarded with a top try at the 60 minute mark.
No10 Ross Morrissey (Gold Coast) dominated his 40 minutes on the field opening up the opposition seemingly at will.
Chuckanut pressured the tourists on a number of times but lacked the higher level skills to capitalise on its share of possession. Half Anthony Fleck was the Chuckanuts best with some great work at the back of the scrum.
Leading 47 zip at the break, coach David Conyers opted for wholesale changes to the Barbas line up. Any fears were soon allayed with Andrew Kliese (Dalby) scoring just four minutes in on the back on concerted pressure. Just a minute after that replacement centre Adam Conway (Mackay) danced through 40m of Chuckanut defense for a five pointer.
The Chuckanut game delivered the first tries of the tour for three Barbas: Tom Robertson, Joe Marshall (Emerald), and Rob McKeown (Bundaberg). Captain Cameron Knights (St George) will be hoping to break his drought in the final game against Eugene.
Point scorers: Jamie Deshon 2, Martin Van Staden, Rudi Wentzel, Joe Marshall, Ross Morrissey, Andre Van Staden, Brendon McKeown, Andrew Kliese, Adam Conway, Rob McKeown, Tom Robertson, Ayden Pyper, Jesse Meinicke tries; Ross Morrissey, Jim Connors, Jesse Meinicke conversions.
The Barbas have won seven of its eight tour matches. The final match is against the Eugene Stags in Eugene, Oregon.
