Easts Tigers overpowered fellow Storm feeder side Sunshine Coast Falcons to record a runaway 24-6 win on Saturday.
Joe Stimson (Falcons) and Christian Welch (Easts) were the standout performers for their respective sides in a game where Storm players were given the rare opportunity to go head-to-head against one another.
Easts held a narrow 6-0 lead at halftime but dominance in possession saw them take hold of the content in the second half.
Forced to defend for long periods of time, the Falcons simply ran out of legs as the home side scored three more tries, including one from Storm recruit Cheyse Blair.
The winger’s efforts were overshadowed by Welch who was a key difference between the two teams.
“Christian is certainly wonderful whole-hearted player and he was outstanding on Saturday night. I thought he was best on the field by a mile,” Falcons coach Craig Ingebrigtsen said.
“Easily you could tell he is an NRL player, obviously he came back with the right attitude to the Intrust Super Cup and did a really good job on the weekend.”
Stimson flew the flag for Sunshine Coast and the 20-year-old has certainly impressed his feeder team coach just two games into the season.
“Joe Stimson was outstanding, he made 40 tackles and carried the ball strongly. He did a great job for us,” Ingebrigtsen said.
“Joey has been a revelation. I’ve only coached him twice now but he is a really good learner and he wants to get better. He’s got all the traits of a Melbourne Storm player of the future.
The Falcons will take on Burleigh Bears this Saturday while Easts Tigers will also travel to face Mackay Cutters on Sunday afternoon.
