24/08/2026
CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINAL – EASTS vs BURNIE
Result: Burnie 51 – Easts 10
And with that, our 2026 season comes to an end.
For the second week in a row, our men made the long trip north to Burnie, this time with our season on the line in an elimination semi-final.
We did everything we could to take the strongest squad available to face the competition favourites. Easts started the game well, controlling possession, making good ground through some tough carries and using the boot to gain territory. Unfortunately, we couldn't turn that early pressure into points.
Burnie defended well, ran hard and grew in confidence, showing exactly why they finished the regular season on top of the ladder. As the game went on, fatigue began to set in for Easts and Burnie started to put points on the board.
But our boys didn't stop.
They dug deep, showed plenty of heart, slowed the flow of points and fought their way over the line themselves. They kept playing for each other and for the jersey right until the end.
In a perfect world, we would have loved to travel with a full squad of 23. Unfortunately, work commitments, injuries and fatigue meant we couldn't take the numbers we wanted. We are incredibly proud of every player who made that trip, stepped onto the field and gave everything they had.
That takes nothing away from Burnie, who played a powerful, confident game and deserved their win. Congratulations to Burnie, and all the best for next week's final against Taroona.
There will be no 3-2-1s this week.
Instead, the congratulations goes to the entire Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club and everyone who is part of it.
It has been a long year. Preseason started early, we fought our way through a 15-round competition and finished the season playing finals rugby.
This year was always going to be about rebuilding – not just rebuilding a team, but rebuilding a culture.
What this group achieved exceeded expectations.
From where we started the season to where we finished, the improvement in this squad has been outstanding. Results don't tell the whole story. The commitment, belief, resilience and pride in the jersey that developed throughout the year are what we will carry forward.
To every player who pulled on an Easts jersey this season – thank you. Whether you played every round or stepped in when we needed you, you were part of getting this club onto the field week in, week out. Without our players, there simply is no team.
A massive thank you also goes to our committee, volunteers, officials, supporters and spectators. Rugby clubs don't survive on players alone. They survive because people give their time, often quietly and without recognition, simply because they love their club.
Special recognition must also go to our President, committee members, volunteers and past coaches who have kept this club going through some very difficult years.
The positive turn we are now seeing, both on and off the field, didn't happen overnight. It is the result of years of hard work, sacrifice, dedication and people refusing to give up on Easts when things were tough.
Without those people, this club may not be here today.
To our sponsors – Coogans Finance, BRD Builders, Tasmanian Protection Unit, Barry Wheeler and all of our individual player sponsors – thank you for backing our club this season. Your support is genuinely appreciated and helps make it possible for us to keep putting teams on the field.
From the coach:
It has been a great honour to be part of this group and to coach you all in my first season coaching at the club. Watching the improvement from the beginning of the year to where we finished has been something I'm incredibly proud of.
And finally, thank you to everyone who has followed along and read these match reviews throughout the season. Hopefully they have given you a little insight into the journey and helped you feel part of the club, even when you couldn't be there in person.
This season wasn't the end of the rebuild.
It was the beginning.
We started with a group determined to get Easts moving forward again.
We finished as semi-finalists.
The foundations have been laid, the culture is growing, and there is plenty to be proud of.
Time for a rest...
Up the Roosters. ❤️🤍🐓
