Bostock nabs two, Lome-Hindle debuts as Redcliffe claim ANZAC victory

The Redcliffe Dolphins have recorded a special Round 7 victory, as they overcame the Norths Devils on their home turf in a thrilling ANZAC Day clash.

The two long-time rivals – and NRL Dolphins affiliates – went toe-to-toe on Saturday afternoon at Premiers’ Park, with Redcliffe heading back to the Peninsula with a 22-10 win.

The Dolphins were the first to cross in the 6th minute, with returning NRL centre Jack Bostock scoring off a perfectly timed Josh James kick.

From here, Redcliffe did not once let go of their lead, dominating throughout the 80 minutes and staving off any potential Devils’ comebacks.

James found a flying Bostock again just 12 minutes later, for a copy-paste effort of their first four-pointer while young debutant Mason Lome-Hindle crossed in the 21st minute, combining with five-eighth Karl Oloapu to extend the lead to 14-0.

Dunedin product Lome-Hindle said when he got the ball – running down the sideline of Redcliffe’s left edge – he wasn’t immediately sure what to do but he followed his instincts and it paid off.

“It was mean,” he said.

“We got the win, got a try, so I’m happy as. I got the ball from Karl and I didn’t really know what to do. I stepped inside, stepped out, and then just dived for the corner and just hoped that I put it down.

“It means a lot (to debut). Just over the past week doing jersey presentations and that sort of stuff, you can see that this club has a lot of history, so I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

The 20-year-old was living in Auckland last year but said it was coach Dave Elliott who convinced him to move across the ditch and he was motivated to deliver his new mentor a win.

“The main thing was Dave,” Lome-Hindle said.

“He’s just a good coach. I searched him up, looked at who he was, and then he gave me a call and he just said all the right things to make me want to come here.

“I definitely wanted to go out there to put my best performance in for him because he gave me a chance to come here.”

In the second half, Redcliffe faced a few challenges after Jordan Plath was sin-binned and Will Boland went off with an injury. With Bostock only available for 40 minutes in his staggered return from an ACL rupture, the Dolphins’ bench was reduced to two.

But despite Norths scoring their second try in the 57th minute, the Redcliffe defence proved too solid and versatile backrower Dom De Stradis – playing in the centres following the loss of Boland – crossed in the 64th minute.

James kicked a penalty goal in the 72nd to seal the match at 22-10.

Lome-Hindle said the 10 minutes without Plath was a tough challenge but the team overcame it together.

“It was real tiring, but then all the boys were around us screaming, telling us to keep going, keep pushing,” he said.

“The boys dug deep so I’m proud of them for that.”

The Dolphins next match will be at Kayo Stadium against the Northern Pride on Sunday, May 3.