Illawarra Cutters winger Nathan Smith is excited by the 34-22 win over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at Remondis Stadium, Cronulla on Saturday.
The flanker bagged a hat-trick of tries to help the Cutters to their first victory of the NSW Cup campaign.
Smith has now had his name appear on the scoresheet four times this season and is hoping it continues in the coming weeks.
“It felt really good to get the win against a strong Sharks team playing in front of their home crowd,” said Smith.
“In the first half we came out strong and in the second half we had good goal line defence.
“I was really happy to grab the three tries but I must admit that it was a team effort with everyone working hard for the result.
“We just have to work hard in training and get all our injuries fixed up and build upon the win.”
Cutter Head Coach Ian Millward believes the key to his team’s first win was a demonstration of greater consistency throughout the 80 minutes, something lacking in recent weeks.
Millward noted it was important to start with a winning mindset against the Sharks and this is something that needs to be reflected against the Newtown Jets at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Saturday.
“The Sharks are used to winning and they were at home but I thought we played well and we were the better team on the day,” said Millward.
“We were just a little bit more consistent this week and played well because of it - we won all the little battles and that’s what got us the points.
“Next week will be interesting as we had a lot of late changes and I think the guys all did a very good job.”
