By Glyn Rees
Alex Donn has led the way as Wattle Warriors started their Toowoomba Rugby League season on a high note, beating Oakey Bears 52-18 at Platz Oval, Clifton on Sunday.
Donn led Wattles pack by example in the Toowoomba Rugby League fixture opener, proving to be more than a handful for the robust and physical Bears forwards.
Warriors skipper Ty Gardner was another to excel, leading his line-up to a valuable first up 2024 season victory.
Fullback Jackson Green and five-eight Kai Duggan were among the key contributors to the green and gold attack that in total resulted in ten tries.
Wattles set the standard dominating over the initial twenty minutes to lead 18 – 0.
Threequarters Christensen and winger Mitch Bourke both crossed inside the ten-minute mark before Gardner capped off some champagne league for his dual touchdowns.
A Jacob Edwards sixty-metre intercept try against the run of play nudged the Bears onto the scoreboard trailing 4 – 18 after a little over twenty minutes of play.
The rampant Warriors ran in another trifecta of four-pointers heading into halftime through Christensen, five-eight Kai Duggan and polished finisher Jake Meddleton.
Bears centre Jeremiah Pati added to his sides total to head to the break trailing Wattles 8 – 34.
Another Pati touchdown minutes into the second stanza signalled a Bears resurgence.
Wattles defence off the line handled all the Bears could muster and formed a foundation stone of their winning result.
Winger Maluafiti Vaovasa Taiama kept Oakey in the game with a try fifteen minutes from time, but touchdowns by green and gold threequarters Craig Donn and a second to Mitch Burke put the result beyond doubt.
Wattles: 52 (Matt Christensen 2, Ty Gardner 2, Mitch Bourke, Kai Duggan, Jake Middleton, Brayden Paix tries; Brayden Paix 3, Matt Duggan goals)
Oakey: 18 (Jeremiah Pati 2, Jacob Edwards, Maluafiti Vaovasa Taiama tries: Preston Alberts goal)
Reserve Grade.
Wattles: 52 (Tim Hentschel 3, Josh Henry 2, Joe Willet, Jack Duggan, Alex Morris, Tom Morris tries; Tom Morris 8 goals)
Oakey: 10 (Jack Schilf, Joseph Eising tries; Dylan Crump goal))
Under 19.
No Under 19 match was played given Oakey are not fielding a team this season.
