Jets soar high, smash Glebe Dirty Reds in trial match thrill

Newtown dominated possession and field position in the opening 20 minutes and led 12-0 at the first break, with second-rowers Matt Stimson and Tom Caughlan, as well as burly front-rower Brandon Luamanu scoring tries.
Fijian trialist Keresi Maya and former Canterbury Bulldogs centre John Olive added tries in the second session.
Glebe gained a bigger share of possession and tightened up their defence in what was a try-less third 20 minutes.
While Newtown might have run out winners by 20-0, both coaches had plenty of positives to take away from this match in terms of their teams’ performances in this opening trial game.
It was the first meeting of these two 1908 foundation rugby league clubs in 91 years, made possible by the re-establishment of the Glebe club in 2015.
A special trophy was instituted for this match – the Alex Bolewski Cup, commemorating the great rugby league pioneer who played with both the Glebe and Newtown clubs, as well as representing NSW. Bolewski also served in World War I for two years.
Both clubs were trialling several new signings, with Newtown having recruited several former Cronulla Sharks and Victorian Thunderbolts under 20s players, while Glebe had secured the prized signature of long-serving NRL player and Kiwi international (and former Newtown Jet) Greg Eastwood.