A move to fullback for Orange CYMS star Nick Murphy reaped dividends for the Western Rams in their 34-6 win over the Monaro Colts in the Laurie Daley Cup on Sunday afternoon.
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In hot conditions at Pioneer Oval, which was looking in splendid nick, Murphy bagged a hattrick and five goals in a personal points haul of 22, and the utility looked dangerous every time he went near the ball.
Murphy had spent the previous three games in the number 6 jersey, but Rams coach Kurt Hancock said the move to fullback was necessitated by a couple of factors.
"Murphy was good today," he said after the game.
"He's been doing a great job at 6, but he was getting knocked around a bit in defence.
"So we thought we'd move him back to 1 and take him out of that contact, and see if we could get him in the game and on the ball a little more.
"And it worked out real well," said Hancock.
Monaro was the first to strike just minutes into the game when powerful second rower Thomas Campagna crashed over in the corner.
Forbes centre Harrison Scott put the Rams first points on the board not long after following a fluid backline move, and from there on the rest of the game belonged to the Rams.
Murphy got his first try on the board with eight minutes left in the half after jinxing through a gap in the Colts defence, and he was marshalling the troops superbly from the back.
Much like the game prior in the Andrew Johns Cup, Monaro were able to score a try from nowhere after the siren after a flying Sean Ward scooting 50 metres to score - but this time it wouldn't halt the Rams momentum.
While the game was still in the balance at 12-10, a couple of repeat sets five minutes into the half sent Michael Smith over, before another brilliant Murphy run minutes later took the score to 24-10.
All the field position and momentum lay with the Rams, and they were able to capitalise yet again when Scott scored his second try of the day.
It was Murphy who put on the try assist for Scott, on the back of a superb Jamie Thorpe pass, with Murphy's grubber perfectly weighted and duly planted down by Scott.
The roles were then reversed, with an exquisite grubber by Thorpe setting up Murphy's hattrick, who followed up expertly in support.
It was the perfect cherry on top after a spectacular half by the Rams, who put on 22 unanswered points in an utterly dominant performance.
They'll take on the Northern Tigers next week in Gulgong for the last game of the regular season.
WESTERN RAMS 34 (Nick Murphy 3, Harrison Scott 2, Michael Smith tries; Nick Murphy 5 goals) defeated MONARO COLTS 10 (Thomas Campanga, Sean Ward tries; William O'Malley 1 goal)
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