Redcliffe post biggest win in honour of ’06 team

The Redcliffe Dolphins have celebrated their biggest win of the season so far, posting a 32-point margin against the Western Clydesdales in Round 12.

Wearing heritage jerseys in honour of the club’s 2006 Queensland Cup premiership-winning team, the Dolphins made their counterparts from 20 years ago proud, leaving Toowoomba with a 52-20 victory.

The win over the Clydesdales – who the Dolphins also defeated in 2006 – is their best on the scoreboard so far this year, topping their Round 4 29-point victory over the PNG Hunters.

It was the home team who were the first to cross, with playmaker Shannon Elara going over two minutes into the match.

But the Dolphins didn’t let the early points dishearten them, bouncing back in fine fashion seven minutes later through centre Montel Lisala, who charged towards the line off a Trai Fuller offload.

Fuller nabbed one for himself in the 13th minute – collecting a loose ball to dive over – before NRL affiliate Oryn Keeley found a gap in the 19th minute to add to his tally for the year.

Up 18-4, the Dolphins were in good standing at the midway point of the opening stanza, with plenty more to come.

The next to score was centre Jude Saldanha – who pipped Fuller in the race to put down a Kyle Coghill kick – before a runaway Brian Pouniu added another four-pointer right before halftime.

The Dolphins went into the break up 28-4.

In a repeat of the first half, the Clydesdales were the first to cross again, this time through centre Stanford Talita.

But Redcliffe were unfazed, going back-to-back through winger Steven Numambo, who both times put the finishing touches on strong teamwork across the park.

Clydesdales then enjoyed a shift in momentum, adding two tries to their account.

However, it was not enough to hold off the Dolphins, who still had more in the tank, with Pouniu and Fuller both earning their second tries of the day before the final whistle.

It was an encouraging result for the second-placed Dolphins ahead of a bye weekend.

Redcliffe will be back in action in Round 14, taking on the Ipswich Jets at Kayo Stadium on Sunday June 21.