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Silence filled the air as a tribute to Jon Mannah was aired and barely a dry eye was left in the stadium. The national anthem was played, firstly in an Indigenous tribal language and then in English.
Then, with the rugby league public being starved of the game since October 4th, the whistle was blown and the first nationally televised rugby league match was underway through the boot of Cameron Smith.
The match started at a frenetic pace. Penalties were aplenty early and the NRL All Stars thought they had a try after Ashley Harrison crashed over. It was however called back due to an obstruction play by Willie Mason.
It was however, a slight bit of Johnathan Thurston magic that had the Indigenous All Stars on the board first.
Thurston aimed a deft kick behind the NRL line, it deflected off a defender and into the way of Greg Inglis. Inglis got a boot to the ball, which wrong-footed NRL fullback Jarryd Hayne. The smallest man on the field, Ben Barba, then controlled the ball with his knees and planted the ball under the posts. The Indigenous side led 6-0.
The Indigenous side then marched down-field and began to pressure the All Stars line. In a bid of desperation, one of the Indigenous players threw the ball out the back. Hayne saw the ball and took his chance.
Off he went, down the left hand touch line with Joel Thompson and Ben Barba in pursuit. But it was the Hayne Plane’s time to shine and he crossed in the corner.
Not wanting to be out-done, it was Thurston again marshalling his troops down the Indigenous All Stars’ left hand flank. Quick hands put Barba over in the corner and it was 12-6.
Not long after it was Thurston again, this time kicking into vacant space with Barba taking the ball like a thief in the night and planting it down under the posts, 18-6 and the Indigenous team with the running in the first half.
In the 36th minute, with Brett Morris on a kick return, George Rose hammered him with a brilliant hit. But, in accordance with the NRL’s new (soft) rule, he was penalised for a shoulder charge.
A bright spot for Eels fans in the first half was Jarryd Hayne’s performance, not only his try but also his kick returns and a very good try-saving tackle on Blake Ferguson.
The second continued on from where the first half left off. It started with a penalty against Thurston for a high tackle on Jarryd Hayne. The NRL All Stars looked set to cash in but Josh Morris couldn’t handle a grubber after a bad bounce.
Thurston was in the thick of it once again with yet another attacking kick. This one wasn’t able to be reeled in by the NRL team and landed in the hands of youngster Reece Robinson, who crossed in the corner.
Scott Prince kept the pressure on with a good kick into the in-goal that forced a goal-line drop out. The Indigenous team kept hammering the NRL line but Tigers excitement machine Benji Marshall collected an intercept and raced 50m before being caught by Jack Wighton.
The Indigenous team then marched down-field again with quick hands by Travis Waddell and an offload, gifting Robinson his second try of the night. Robinson then scored with only two minutes remaining after an overlap gave him room.
Both Robinson and Barba now hold the record for the most tries scored in an All Stars match by an individual player, with three each.
A truly exciting game that showcased some of the best players and skills the game has to offer.
Bring on season 2013 and go the Eels!
Indigenous All Stars 32 (Barba 3, Robinson 3 tries. Thurston 3/4, Prince 1/1, Aiden Sezer 0/1 goals).
NRL All Stars 6 (Hayne 1 try. Adam Reynolds 1/1).
Preston Campbell Medal for Best On-Field Performance: Ben Barba
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