In heavy rain, marquee recruit Sam Clune was best on the park for the Eagles, while Tom and Ben Warner also stood up, the latter barging across for the match-winner with four minutes left.

Stingrays got off to a strong start with the opening try before the match was halted when their own big-name recruit Zaane Weatherall suffered a nasty concussion and head gash in a head clash with teammate Anthony Naabe.

It caused a lengthy delay in already difficult conditions but Eagles co-coach Ian Jones praised his side for jump-starting their effort after the resumption.

"When these things happen it can be really hard to get going again so it was about whoever started fastest after the break was going to win the game," Jones said.

"I thought we responded really well, we're pretty happy to get the two points, let's just hope the young bloke [Weatherall] is all right.

"It was a good effort to get out there and get the two points, it could've gone either way there for a while. In this [shortened] competition if you don't win 60 per cent of your first four or five games you're in big trouble.

"Defensively we were pretty happy with how we played but we were pretty clunky with the ball, in these conditions you expect that.

"We had a great warm-up, I think we dropped one ball, and then we didn't take it out there onto the field.

"Hopefully next week we get a dry track and show what we can do."