Late penalty secures Dolphins win over courageous Capras

The Dolphins fielded seven Warriors in their line-up in what the loyal Redcliffe supporters thought it would-be one-way traffic for the home side, but someone forgot to tell the Capras that.

It was the visitors who had the better of the opening stanza, almost scoring on their first visit to the Dolphins end of the field following a successful 40-20 attempt from halfback Jack Madden.

They missed with their first opportunity, but they didn’t miss their next chance with quick tries to Jedidiah Simbiken and Lachlan Huber, giving the Capras a 10-0 lead after 13 minutes.

The Dolphins needed to find something and the person to step up was none other than their captain and man of match Cameron Cullen.

The inspirational leader - who crossed for the try in the 17th minute to get the Dolphins on the board - also attempted to lift the home side on several occasions throughout the match with some hard hitting defensive and fearless charges into the Capras line.

A further try to Madden extended the Capras lead to 16-4, which they took to the half-time break.

The Dolphins needed to be the first team to score in the second half and it was indeed the case when Trai Fuller plucked a well-timed Perham bomb from the Capras' hands to score under the posts.

A further try to Nathan Bassani for the Capras seemed to all but put the game to bed for the visitors, but then came the play that changed the momentum of the match.

The Capras had made a break down their left side and looked set to score before Fuller came from the clouds to drag the attacker into touch.

The play lifted the Dolphins, who began to complete their sets and they took advantage of some repeated possession with the ball to strike back. Tries to Lachlan Timm and Preston Riki tied the game up at. 22-22 with nine minutes to go.

Then came the penalty that broke the Capras heart and Perham made no mistake to give the home side a two-point victory.

After the match, Redcliffe coach Adam Mogg told his side they have plenty to work on, but was proud of their effort and the fact they didn’t give in.

Next week, the Dolphins travel to BMD Kougari Oval to take on Wynnum Manly Seagulls in XXXX Rivalry Round.

The Capras are at home to the Cutters.