A mid-season holiday is paying off for James Desaxe and the Woden Valley Rams.
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Desaxe scored a double and switched seamlessly from lock to five-eighth to help the Rams ease past the Belconnen United Sharks 36-22 at Bruce on Saturday.
It keeps the ladder-leading Rams' hopes of claiming the Canberra Raiders Cup minor premiership alive.
They even survived playing a man down for 10 minutes when centre Gideon Afemui was sent to the sin bin - the Rams scoring two tries despite going down to 12.
Rams coach Billy Thomson was full of praise for Desaxe for the job he did when they lost five-eighth Sean Maloney to a hamstring injury.
The fireman spent some time in the Rams reserves this season and had a pre-booked holiday in the middle of the season.
But upon his return, he's established himself as an important cog for the high-flying Rams.
"There were a few that impressed me today. I thought Jimmy Desaxe, our 13, he had to go into six - we lost Sean Maloney with a hamstring," Thomson said.
"He's a very talented footballer Jimmy, very smart.
"He played a bit of reggies, he had a bit of a mid-season break where he went away and he's worked his way into that first-grade side now and he's not given up the spot."
Desaxe got the ball rolling for Woden, scoring the opening try after just 11 minutes, and it was all the Rams from there.
They led 20-4 at the break - with Asemui converting a penalty from the halfway line after the siren - before finishing it off in the second half.
Woden winger Nicholas Baldwin also scored a double, while Reagan Carr scored two for the Sharks.
The loss ended the Sharks' finals hopes.
"They're bloody worries those sort of games - [the Sharks] had everything to play for, us not so much - and they can come back and get you a little bit," Thomson said.
"But I thought we were good today. Nice and strong."
AT A GLANCE
Canberra Raiders Cup: Woden Valley Rams 36 bt Belconnen United Sharks 22, West Belconnen Warriors 34 bt Yass Magpies 14, Queanbeyan Kangaroos 30 d Gungahlin Bulls 26, Queanbeyan Blues 27 d Goulburn City Bulldogs 22.
Katrina Fanning Shield: Tuggeranong Bushrangers 16 d Harden Worhawks 8.
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