At Centenary Park, the hosts, who were celebrating hooker Brent Wake's 200th career first grade game, took just three minutes to score - as Sam Clune put Buddy Braddick over to score.

Seven minutes later, winger Josh Adu charged onto a Troy Errington cut-out pass and cut inside to score the Rays' first try of the season - to make it 4-all.

The Eagles regained their lead three minutes later, when playmaker Paul Roberts weaved across the field, following a scrum, and offloaded to centre Blake Jones.

The latter converted his own try and it was 10-4.

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The Eagles' third was eerily similar to the second, with Roberts sweeping across and this time hitting opposite centre Donte Efaraimo, in his first game back at the club, to dive over - making it 14-4 after 18 minutes.

The back and forth nature of the contest continued with the Rays crashing over next, when powerhouse prop Jake Kamire skittling four defenders, after receiving a clever inside pass from hooker James Scott.

In the 30th minute, the Eagles had their fourth through winger Dallas Harrison, who placed it down out wide following handy lead-up play from Roberts and Jones.

With conversions proving hard to come by, the Eagles lead 18-8 at the break.

Three minutes after half-time, the same three players combined to extend the hosts' lead.

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A Roberts kick bounced into the hands of Harrison before the winger passed inside to his centre Jones, who ran 20 metres untouched to score.

The latter converted and the lead was 16.

Roberts' exceptional Eagles debut continued in the 50th minute when his deft kick into the in-goal was somehow grounded by left edge winger Jack Veenstra.

Jones converted from the sidelined and it was 30-8.

Minutes later, the Eagles had their seventh, when a Clune kick rebounded into the line of prop Ben Warner to score.

Jones converted for a 36-8 lead for the maroon and white.

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Not giving up, the visitors responded with four quick tries of their own, firstly through Kamire in the 59th minute, before club debutant Ben Weather (64th), Temana Te Maari (67th) and Hamish McLaurin (74th) crossed - with the latter converting three to make it 36-30 with five to play.

But the Eagles sealed the match in the 79th minute when Harrison finished off a swift backline play to score his second.

Jones' boot made it 42-30 at full-time.

Next week, the Park travel to Kevin Walsh Oval on Saturday to face the Superoos, while the Stingrays host crosstown rivals the Sharks in the first Shellharbour Showdown in 2021.

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