It may have taken until Round 12 but Redcliffe Dolphins coach Daniel Green believes his side is starting to play to their potential.
The Dolphins were ruthless in defence and attack at Civic Park on Saturday, earning a 42-10 upset over third-placed Logan Brothers.
Brothers were missing substantial troops including Graham Levu, Ramon Filipine and David Faamita but that took nothing away from the energy of Redcliffe, who opened up a 18-0 lead at halftime and went on with the job in the second.
“It was our best performance of the year so far,” Green said.
“Our halves controlled the game and kicked into corners early which is what we trained for all week… to turn their bigger bodies around and build pressure and we executed it perfectly.”
“We’re starting to get a bit of momentum behind us now, and if we play to our potential every week, we’ll be a very hard side to beat.”
After an inconsistent few months, the Dolphins have now won three in a row.
The club struggled with injuries and cohesion but were bolstered by the inclusion of Tom Geraghty, Hayden Hansen, Josh Rudolph.
“The guys that are coming back are bringing back a lot of professionalism and have taken training sessions to a whole new level by the way they conduct themselves,” Green said.
The powerful Rudolph grabbed a double from centre, as did enigmatic fullback Evander Cummins.
The former St George Illawarra Dragons flyer started the year in Intrust Super Cup before making his comeback from injury through the BRL in recent weeks.
Green believes the sky is the limit for Cummins.
“He’s so spontaneous, which is a good thing but he needs to harness his skills in the right way. I just try to encourage him to run the ball as much as he can.”
“For his size, I’ve never seen a player dominate bigger bodies.”
Redcliffe virtually put the game to bed in the early stages of the second half when Cummins pounced on an error and Kyle van Klaveran crossed from a scrum.
Logan Brothers finished strongly but late tries to Joseph Richards and Wade Liddell only put a small dent on the scoreboard.
Saturday was an afternoon of upsets with Carina (8th) surprising Ipswich (1st) 32-22 and Valleys (9th) defeating Gaters (6th) 30-10 on home soil.
Easts registered a big 58-14 win over Normanby to maintain fourth spot on the ladder, while two tries to Mitch Lollback inspired Wynnum Manly Redland City to a dramatic 32-26 win over West Brisbane Panthers.
The Seagulls are now outright competition leaders for the first time this season.
RESULTS
Saturday 11 July
VALLEYS DIEHARDS 30 (Willis Grant 2, Joshua Minniecon 2, Shane Picker, Aiona Nona tries; Shane Picker, Liam Sue-Tin, Joel Adams goals) def GATERS 10 (Aaron Corbyn, Stephen Tunnicliffe tries; Kieran Turner goal) at Emerson Park, Grange.
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS 42 (Glen Ellis 2, Kyle van Klaveren 2, Josh Rudolph 2, Evander Cummins tries; Jordan Mitchell 7 goals) def LOGAN BROTHERS 10 (Joey Richards, Wade Liddell tries; Nutana Te Rangi goal) at Civic Park, Logan Central.
CARINA 32 (Tom Medcalf 2, Kev Stephensen, Brandan Purcell, Brett Ferguson, Jon Stewart, Steve Tyrrell tries; Brett Ferguson, Scott Greenhill goals) def IPSWICH JETS 22 (Pat McCallum 2, Jordan Tighe, Isi Hafoka, Fine Fainga tries; Haydan Lipp goal) at Leo Williams Oval, Carina.
Sunday 12 July
EASTS TIGERS 58 (Jake Hargreaves 2, Brandon Downey, Leon Ellia-Niukore, Jayden Carroll, Tom Price, Charlie Burchell, Kurt Hatfield, Sam Bielefeld, Dwayne Craft tries; Brandon Downey 9 goals) def NORMANBY HOUNDS 14 (Mitchell Hallinan, James Bannerman, Jordan Eaton tries; Lincoln Bowman goal) at Tapout Energy Stadium, Langlands Park, Stones Corner.
WYNNUM MANLY REDLAND CITY SEAGULLS 32 (Mitchell Lollback 2, Hayden Crowley, Jeriah Goodrich, Chris Green, Patrick Matulino tries; Chris Green 4 goals) def WEST BRISBANE PANTHERS 26 (Luke Pollock, Shane Seiuli, Sean Loxley, James Leavai, Mitch Betros tries; Jake Dornan 3 goals) at Kev McKell Oval, Arana Hills.
LADDER
|
Played |
Won |
Draw |
Lost |
Bye |
For |
Agnst |
Pts |
WM Redland City |
12 |
10 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
393 | 280 |
20 |
Ipswich Jets |
12 |
9 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
369 |
247 |
18 |
Logan Brothers |
12 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
354 |
289 |
16 |
Easts Tigers |
12 |
7 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
333 |
275 |
15 |
Redcliffe Dolphins |
12 |
7 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
404 |
264 |
14 |
Gaters |
12 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
257 |
314 |
12 |
Carina |
12 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
290 |
368 |
9 |
West Bris. Panthers |
12 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
322 |
293 |
8 |
Valleys Diehards |
12 |
3 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
314 |
404 |
6 |
Normanby Hounds |
12 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
162 |
464 |
2 |
ROUND 13 (Split Round)
Saturday, July 18
Wynnum Manly Redland City v Valleys Diehards at BMD Kougari Oval - 3.15pm
Gaters v Carina at South Pine Sports Complex - 3.30pm
Sunday, July 19
Easts Tigers v Redcliffe Dolphins at Tapout Energy Stadium, Langlands Park - 1.15pm
BYE - Ipswich Jets, Logan Brothers, Normanby Hounds, West Brisbane Panthers
