League: Slippery Eels play it smart

Fullback Conner Hohepa had a fine all-round game in the Otumoetai Eels home win over Pikiao Warriors. Photo / Andrew Warner

The Otumoetai Eels proved too slippery for the Pikiao Warriors with a resounding 36-12 victory at Mitchell Park on Saturday.

The Eels scored seven tries to two and romped away with the game playing into a stiff breeze in the second spell, after the teams were level 6-6 at the break.

The victory moves the Eels into the top three on the BOP/Coastlines premier grade table and after a slow start they look likely title contenders.

The return to the fold after a break away for experienced campaigners Josh Weedon and Michael Johnston is a factor in the team's form reversal but the intensity on defence from all the players is what did for Pikiao in the end.

Hooker Willy Rutene was one of the stars of the day, scoring two tries under the posts with carbon copy darts from dummy half that split the game open for the Eels.

Eels coach Len Reid was impressed with all aspects of his performance. "Willy had a great game at hooker. He played the whole 80 minutes and he did some smart things with the football at times and he also defended really strongly," Reid said.

"They are always hard but the talk before the game was, yes we had to play tough, but we had to play smart. Our smarts came through in the end and we scored some really good tries in the end out wide.

"Pikiao play a very confrontational style of game and always play tough. They always possess some good footballers. At 6-6 at halftime it was always going to be tight but I thought we had the fitness and the composure to finish over the top of them and that is what we did. We have been threatening for a while to do that and that was a great second half performance into the wind. It was a very pleasing result."

Winger Ainsley Skudder finished the game off for the Eels with two late tries after Rutene's brace with other four-pointers going to Michael Johnston, Ryan Gordon and Conner Hohepe.

Otumoetai Eels 36 (Willy Rutene 2, Ainsley Skudder 2, Ryan Gordon, Connor Hohepa tries; Hohepa 4 goals) Pikiao Warriors 12 (Andrew Gardner, Balmain Smith tries; Rhys Hohepa 2 goals). HT: 6-6.