Undermanned Dolphins fall short to Bears
A valiant Redcliffe Dolphins outfit has fallen short to the Burleigh Bears in Round 20, losing 30-12 at UAA Park.
An undermanned Redcliffe headed south to the Gold Coast on Saturday without co-captain and lock Max Bailey (calf) and halfback Joshua James (appendicitis), with second rower Jaron Purcell also still sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Taking on the third-placed Bears was always going to be a tough task but the Dolphins proved they were more than up for the challenge for the majority of the game, before slipping away in the final 10 minutes.
Replacement No.7 Thomas Casey was impressive in filling the shoes of James, scoring the only two tries for Redcliffe.
The crafty playmaker struck quickly after the opening whistle, pinching an intercept just 10 minutes in to run 70m to score under the posts.
Burleigh responded 10 minutes later through veteran centre Sami Sauiluma, but Casey found his way over again, scoring off his own grubber.
The match went into halftime locked up at 12-all, with Burleigh’s second try coming through Adam Christensen.
The Bears then returned with an edge of dominance in the second stanza, with Christensen nabbing a second before the home team ran away with all the momentum to close out the match, scoring through winger Troy Leo in the 70th minute and then through five-eighth Josh Rogers in the 77th.
While the Dolphins will be disappointed with the result and some of the errors they made throughout the game, there are plenty of positives to take forward.
Redcliffe will next meet the Sunshine Coast Falcons at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Saturday, August 16, for the James Ackerman Cup.
Their final two games of the regular season will then be played at home, first against the Townsville Blackhawks on August 24 and then against the Mackay Cutters on August 30.