Round 6
Redcliffe Dolphins 38 d. Norths Devils 22

2007 Wizard Queensland Cup Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Australia > Queensland > State/Metropolitan Level Competition: Wizard Queensland Cup

Dolphins Dominate Devils In Derby
Mon April 23, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

Redcliffe has blown Norths out of the water with a punishing 38-22 win at Dolphin Oval, leaving the Devils to play catch-up in coming rounds.

Responding from the club's first loss of the season a week beforehand, the Dolphins led 34-0 at halftime in a scoreline which set the Devils on their back heels.

Anthony Griffin's men then cruised to 38-0 minutes after the break before switching off the engines and allowing the visitors to control the remaining half-hour.

While far from impressed that his charges failed to go on with the job, it was difficult for Griffin to berate his side following such a dominant first half.

"We played some really good footy there for 50 minutes or so," the 2006 premiership coach said.

"Our attack hadn't really clicked so far this season, but we made the best of our chances today and created opportunities. It was our best period in attack by far."

While rookie half Matt Seamark had impressed during the opening rounds of the season, Griffin chose the more experienced Marty Turner to steer the ship on Sunday.

It was a difficult decision, but was shown to pay dividends as he reunited with fellow spearhead Michael Roberts and exposed holes in the Devils defence.

Making the win even more meritorious for the Dolphins, it was achieved without standout centre Nick Emmett, deservingly called up for an NRL start with the Brisbane Broncos.

In place of Emmett, Alwyn Simpson shifted in from the wing, while veteran Trent Leis made his first Wizard Cup appearance of the season.

A former NRL player forced to prove himself again after a disappointing past year, Leis held his head high and scored two tries for the Dolphins.

The only dampener from a Redcliffe perspective was a rolled ankle for Mark Shipway, likely to keep the standout forward absent for two weeks.

Norths coach Kevin Carmichael would have hoped his side's encouraging finish was a portent of things to come, having dropped to sixth on the table after back-to-back losses.

Despite boasting a side hand-picked largely by the Melbourne Storm and capable of making the finals, the Devils are yet to submit a convincing performance this season.

Admittedly the Nundah club has been forced to deal with disruptions on a weekly basis, and lost Anthony Perkins (suspension) and James Aubusson (NRL duty) in the lead-up to the Dolphins clash.

Next round sees Norths battle Aspley in the Wizard Cup's newest local derby, kicking off at 2pm at Bishop Park on Sunday. Redcliffe will travel to the Piggabeen Complex for the only Sunday match of the weekend, tackling Tweed Heads at 3pm.

REDCLIFFE 38 (Trent Leis 2, Alwyn Simpson, Matt Harris, Chris Fox, Shannon Fish, Mark Shipwy tries; Alwyn Simpson 5 goals) d NORTHS 22 (Jason Poppi, Kieran Turner, Ryan Shortland, Georg Kepa tries; Will Chambers 3 goals) at Dolphin Oval.

Report sent by: www.qrl.com.au

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