The Nest Report - 10 June

Eagle Man reporting.

The Fairfax Eagles went down in their first ever match in a tough and physical encounter with local rivals the DC Slayers going down 14-40. The match set the scene for what should be a healthy rivalry between two proud clubs in the years to come.

It is an old cliché but Rugby League was the winner on the day. For both clubs to have over 25 guys suited up and playing the sport was a momentous occasion for the game in Northern Virginia.

Congratulations must go to both clubs for this top effort!

The Eagles certainly did Eagle Man and the Eagle Fan Club proud.

I expect to see a great deal of improvement from this squad as they play more rugby league together. Hopefully we don't see anymore "holy crap these guys want to BASH me" 10 minute periods such as at the start of the game where the team looked more prepared for a game of Soft Ball than a contact sport.

Fire up boys!

It must be said though that despite the poor start it took a great deal of courage and character to fight back to 16-14 at half time. The Eagles actually played some outstanding periods of play and looked the better side in patches. The side looked to be well in the match until some poor penalties and lazy errors gave the game away in the second stanza.

Credit must go to the Slayers who played a very tough and physical brand of Rugby League and were tactically superior to the Eagles.

The next local derby in two weeks time should be a cracker!

The Nest was also impressed at the sportsmanship of the Slayers players who took the time to attend the Eagles post match function and support an important Eagles sponsor 'The Wing House'


Give That Man a Pabst

Special mention goes to Eagle 'winger' (pun intended) and noted 'flier' (wow two in one sentence) Henry Nowell who scored the clubs first ever try.

Club President Steve 'We Shall Have Our Freedom' Grant was known to have been privately seething and tearing out the few remaining hairs on his head at having been denied the opportunity to cross the chalk for the first ever Fairfax Eagles T-R-Y.

Grant was later placated when it was pointed out that he would be lucky to ever cross the try line in a game of Rugby League given his lack of speed, skill or agility.

Someone Tell That Guy to Lay Off the Pabst

Chad P. Culpepper learned a valuable lesson on the weekend, earning himself the dubious distinction of first ever Eagle to visit the sin bin. Culpepper, an engineer, was adamant that he was merely seeking 'clarification' on some technical aspects/specifications of the game so that he could produce a more efficient outcome in the future.

Rugby league historians are currently investigating whether Culpepper is in fact the first player to ever be sin binned on debut.


Eagle Rumor

Sean Millar was allegedly seen pestering women around a local Herndon bar on Saturday evening asking them whether they had 'seen' his try earlier that day. Despite having only fallen over the line it is rumored that Millar was exaggerating the length and significance of his achievement much like he is known to with certain elements of his anatomy. Millar is known to be furious at being runner up in the official club pretty boy stakes and has let officials know his feelings on the matter. Millar has been linked to a trade to a less handsome club where he is investigating the possibility of playing for a team where his looks will be more appreciated.

Injury Update

The Nest is hopeful that starting hooker Steve Grant can recover in time from his badly bruised pinkie finger in time for round two. Grant is said to have been in agony for the duration of the round one match, or more specifically the entire 15 minutes that he took the field, courageously playing on despite feeling the effects of the injury and the searing pain that only those who have ever bruised a finger can fully appreciate.

Get well Steven!

Naysan Estrangi is expected to be passed fit to play despite forgetting which country he was in after a Sonny Bill Shoulder charge gone wrong on the weekend left him severely concussed. Estrangi seemed to have forgotten that whilst he may have Samoan blood, he doesn't have the physique and would be best to put the shoulder charging back in the kit bag for the remainder of the season. If he looks in that kit bag he might also find a pair of hair clippers for a desperately needed haircut. Speculation that it was Estrangi's rat tail that impaired his vision leading to the miscalculated shoulder charge is being investigated by club officials.

Cheerio Eh' Bro

The Nest wishes a warm farewell to captain Jordan Barber who has had to return to England for an urgent personal matter. Barber is hopeful he will be able to return once his affairs are in order. The Nest certainly hopes to see him return for a few more matches this AMNRL season with his 'colorful' half time speeches a match highlight.

On to Round Two

The Nest expects a continued improvement from all players as individuals and as a collective and expects the side to do well against AMNRL powerhouse the Aston Bulls.

The Eagles will look to build on some impressive patches of play and look for a strong showing against such a formidable opposition.

Until next time

Go the Eagles!

Eagle Man out.