Nate Carroll ices stirring Queanbeyan Whites victory in John I Dent Cup

But this? This one split the uprights to put the Queanbeyan Whites on course for a stirring John I Dent Cup triumph in torrential rain at Campese Field on Saturday.

The Whites overturned a 15-point deficit to secure a thrilling 20-15 win over the Gungahlin Eagles, dampening celebrations for Matt Hawke's 200^th first grade appearance.

Carroll nailed two late penalties - first to put the Whites ahead, and then to sew up the victory. So how did he feel when he stepped up with the game on the line?

"To be honest, I was thinking about a trial game last year when I had a kick to win. I knew it was my second chance so I wanted to slot it over, and thankfully I hit it well," Carroll said.

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"Coming out of half-time, we said we'd done the hardest part. We had the confidence in the second half that we'd come through, and if we kicked well, we'd eventually convert that pressure into points."

Matt Hawke admits he thought the Eagles had the better of Queanbeyan for 70 minutes, disappointed to let the win slip through their grasp but commending the Whites for "a gutsy win".

For context on how long Hawke has been playing first grade, Whites debutant Abraham Tuli was born the year Hawke made his John I Dent Cup debut.

Gungahlin shot out to a 15-0 lead with Queanbeyan twice forced to play with 14 men following yellow cards to Carroll and Jackson Stuart - the latter leaving onlookers scratching their heads.

But Jacob Church got his side back into the contest when he slid over under the posts - and then when Hudson Creighton swooped on a Carroll kick, the game was well and truly alive.

Then up stepped Carroll. All Queanbeyan coach Tim Hawke could think was "fingers crossed he won't slip over".

You couldn't have blamed him if he did in the howling rain which was relentless from the opening whistle - but Carroll struck truly, and then did it again for good measure.

"It's massive. We had the bye in round one and a tough trip up to Penrith in round two, then a big day here on our first game, especially with what was on the line for Eagles in Matty Hawke's 200^th game," Hawke said.

"They had Jahrome Brown and Tom Ross, Brumbies boys, in a quality team. They were coming here obviously wanting to win, but we found a way, which is very pleasing.

"We just needed to get down into our A-zone, if we could just get into their end, things would take care of themselves. We'd put ourselves under pressure. As soon as we were in our attacking zone, things took care of themselves."

Meanwhile, the Wests Lions secured a gritty 12-8 win over the Canberra Royals, and the Uni-Norths Owls trounced Penrith 64-10 at ANU North Oval.

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