You couldn’t have scripted a better finish to Alex Newsome’s return to New England in last year’s National Rugby Championship clash in Armidale.
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Turning out for NSW Country Eagles against the Canberra Vikings in the 2017 fixture, the Glen Innes product crashed over after the full-time siren had sounded to claim the lead and the win 25-24.
Newsome and the Eagles are set to return to Bellevue Oval on Sunday for their round four encounter and the 23-year-old is excited to be back in front of a ‘home’ crowd.
“I have probably been away from the area on and off for a fair while now and it is good to bring semi-professional rugby back to the area and showcase some of the best talent from around Australia right in my backyard so to speak,” he said.
“Personally for myself to be able to come back and play in front of friends and family is very special so it will be a good occasion for a lot of reasons.”
It’s been a big year for Newsome since his last outing at Bellevue for the Eagles.
His first Super Rugby club Western Force was cut from the top tier competition but he went on to sign with the NSW Waratahs, fulfilling a childhood dream.
“I always dreamed to play for the Waratahs growing up and being able to fulfil that this year and I am really motivated to continue to succeed and get better in those colours,” he said.
“It will be good to play in front of friends and family, another year of experience and hopefully I will be able to showcase that again this weekend.”
In terms of his NRC outfit, it’s been a rocky start for the Country Eagles with two big losses.
The first one came in round two at the hands of Western Force before they were thrashed by Melbourne in their Mudgee fixture last Saturday.
“We had a very disappointing day on the weekend,” Newsome said.
“Not to take anything away from Melbourne, they were very good and dominated us.
“We struggled in our set piece, the scrum and line out got put under a fair bit of heat and in the end we missed far too many tackles to remain competitive in the game.
“Hopefully that is a one off.”
This Sunday the Eagles will play Canberra once again for their Armidale fixture.
The Vikings have posted one loss and back-to-back wins in their season so far and the Eagles are hoping to halt their momentum in front of the Armidale crowd this Sunday.
“It was sort of a similar scenario last year,” Newsome said.
“We had our backs up against the wall after the first couple of rounds and then got away with a tight one there.
“Playing the same opposition, it should be a great game again this year.
“Like Melbourne and Perth, they are a one-team state so they have a lot of depth, a lot of Super Rugby guys playing so any team that has a good amount of Super Rugby experience is always tough to beat.
“It will be a good game, they have a tough forward pack and some exciting backs.
“We will be looking to go one better and get our season back on track.”
Where he will line up though is anyone’s guess with the outside back spending time both at fullback and in the centres in the opening rounds.
“Between 13 and 15, I enjoy playing both positions,” Newsome said.
“Trying to get as much game time as possible in preparation for next year's Super Rugby season and also trying to fit in with the other guys we have got in the squad.
“If that means I have to do a job at fullback then I enjoy playing there and am happy doing that but am trying to get as much game time at 13 as possible in preparation for next year, hopefully trying to push for a spot there.”
No matter where he plays, Newsome is eager to see a huge and vocal crowd to cheer the Eagles home.
“It is a Sunday afternoon so hopefully they can all come for a pie and a beer at the footy and hopefully we can put on a good display,” he said.
“It is always a good day out there at Bellevue so get around the team and I am looking forward to seeing as many people as possible there on Sunday.”
Rugby action will commence at 10am with junior pre-match fixtures before the Eagles and the Vikings go head-to-head at 1pm.
Junior fixtures:
Under 8s- 10am with players from Walcha, Inverell, Dorrigo and Armidale
Under 10s- from 10.30am with players from Walcha, Inverell Armidale and Dorrigo
Under 12s- will play from 11.10am through to 12pm. Walcha versus Armidale