Round 2 Sunday wrap: Dolphins claim nail biter as Jets break drought
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The Redcliffe Dolphins claimed a gritty win in wet conditions on home turf on Sunday, while the Ipswich Jets went out west to post their first victory in 582 days.
The Jets put over 12 months of heartache behind them to close out Round 2 with a commanding 36-16 win over the Western Clydesdales in Toowoomba.
Buoyed by their Gold Coast Titans alliance, the Jets ran in seven tries to three, with their affiliate players Ryan Foran, Ken Maumalo, Jaylan De Groot, Joe Stimson and Harley Smith-Shields all posting a try each.
Playmaker Kyle Foxwell - who enjoyed train and trials with both the Sydney Roosters and Titans - bagged a double, putting the cherry on top of the much-needed victory.
Match: Clydesdales v Jets
Round 2 -
home Team
Clydesdales
13th Position
away Team
Jets
5th Position
Venue: Toowoomba Sports Ground, Toowoomba
Earlier on Sunday, the Dolphins battled it out against the Norths Devils in dreary conditions at Kayo Stadium
In a fiery match - with plenty of back and forth in a wet first half - Ben Te'o's men triumphed 16-12 to take their second win in two weeks.
With the Northern Pride and Central Queensland Capras the only other teams to be two from two, Dolphins vice-captain Josh James said his side weren't playing pretty, but they were getting the job done.
"We made it pretty hard for ourselves for a second time in a row," James said.
"But if you’re making it hard for yourself and still two from two, you have to be pretty happy.
"We didn’t start too good. I don’t even know what we completed in the first half. It was terrible.
"We were lucky to go in having the lead at halftime. It dried up in the second half and we completed a lot better but we still have to fix it up a bit."
In the heavy rain, Norths started hard and fast, capitalising on a number of Redcliffe's errors.
They crossed first through winger Manase Kaho in the fifth minute before the tide started to change halfway through the first stanza.
Caleb Jackson and Brenton Baira crossed within six minutes of each other to give Redcliffe a 10-4 halftime lead.
Tesi Niu then opened the scoring for Norths in the second half, but once again Redcliffe found their way back in, this time through Aublix Tawha.
James said the resilience they showed is something they have been working on for season 2024.
"We’re building something good. The more we can build off this, the better we’ll fare for the end of the year," he said.
"We spoke a lot about our toughness (in pre-season) and did a lot of wrestle sessions where being tough was our focus.
"It really shows when we’re defending repeat set after repeat set on our try line and we keep turning them away... it’s pretty impressive.
"It’s a massive credit to the boys that we can keep turning the other teams away like that."
Match: Dolphins v Devils
Round 2 -
home Team
Dolphins
4th Position
away Team
Devils
6th Position
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
Next week the Hostplus Cup will celebrate XXXX Rivalry Round with the Dolphins taking on the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
The Devils will host Souths Logan Magpies, while the Jets will take on the reigning premiers in the Brisbane Tigers.
The Western Clydesdales meanwhile will enjoy a bye in Round 3.
For a wrap of the Saturday matches, click here.
Catch all the replays of the Hostplus Cup and the Queensland Rugby League's statewide competitions on Qplus.tv.
