Dolphins hit back with commanding win in Townsville

Redcliffe have returned to the winner’s circle in style, notching up a statement 32-10 victory against the Townsville Blackhawks in the state’s north.

The Dolphins – who last week recorded a 20-all draw with the Northern Pride – put on a first half masterclass in Round 9, doing enough in the opening 40 minutes to secure the two points and move into second place on the Hostplus Cup competition ladder.

It was NRL affiliated fullback Trai Fuller who opened the scoring in the 4th minute, displaying plenty of fancy footwork as he danced his way to the tryline in a stunning solo effort.

From here the floodgates opened, with backrower Oryn Keeley crashing over just seven minutes later. Fellow second rower Brian Pouniu was next to cross, pouncing on a beautifully placed grubber from hooker Brent Woolf.

Sitting at 14-0, the Dolphins looked promising heading into the break, but they were far from done. Hard-working forward Sam Elliott was put through a gap by prop Riley Price, scoring next to the posts in an easy assist for goalkicker Josh James.

Off the kick off, Redcliffe then earned repeat sets and with five minutes left on the clock, five-eighth Karl Oloapu found another gap on Townsville’s right edge, putting an electric Fuller through for his second.

Looking strong on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins went into the break up 26-0.

The second stanza proved to be a harder task for the away team, as the Blackhawks finally found some points through Bailey Biondi-Odo and Dudley Dotoi.

But the damage had already been done and a late try to centre Jude Saldanha – slamming down an Oloapu grubber right before the dead ball line – sealed the deal for Redcliffe.

The Hostplus Cup will now play Round 10 over two weekends, with the Dolphins enjoying a week off this week before returning to action on May 23 against the Central Queensland Capras in Rockhampton.

Redcliffe won’t be back on home turf until Round 14, hosting the Ipswich Jets on Sunday, June 21.