With the men’s A and Reserve grade having the bye last weekend, it was the Ray White Noosa Dolphin Womens who led the way in Saturday rugby with an all-round performance against Nambour at Nambour taking the match 22-0.
Despite the significant loss of captain Tess Evans in the first half through injury, the Dolphins showed resilience and determination against the perennial competition favourites.
“It was a great team performance, especially as for much of the second half we were down to 14 players having lost Tess and then Bridget Duncan,“ coach Damien Cogill said. In a match dominated in both defence and attack by the Dolphins, Cogill pointed to the direct attacking rugby and the scrum dominance as the key platform for the victory.
“Our front row of Alysha Lockrey, Tegan Clinton and Lydian Alo-Emilie put in a big match, all playing full games,“ added Cogill. The Dolphins took advantage of the solid set piece platform, playing direct and fast rugby, with KB’s player of the match Georgie Daniels, Stevie Te Moana and Tiger Livingstone again dominant. In defence, Rhiannon Behm led the way putting constant pressure on through quick line speed and aggression, disrupting the fast Nambour attack.
The win sees the Dolphins in second place, just three points behind ladder leaders Caboolture going into their bye weekend this Saturday.
The Dolphins Friday Night team were also victorious in their match against University at Sunshine Beach taking the game 25-5. The Dolphins were again able to field a team including a number of former Noosa Juniors including the likes of Nick Auckland, Chennar Marks, Louie Griffen, Mack Frey and Oscar Batty.
“Having the young Dolphins available in the last couple of games has been the difference. They complement the older guys extremely well. We hope this bodes well for next season if these lads are available for the season,“ coach Brad Torta said.
While the first half was a tight tussle, the Dolphins took control after the break, showing improved ball control. Impressing on the night were KB’s man of the match Cam Jolly with Haydn McGovern and Harry Glassock taking the two and one points respectively.
This week also saw a number of Dolphin juniors participating for Queensland Country in the National Junior Rugby Union Championships at Kawana. The Under 16 junior Heelers took out the Championship undefeated with Dolphins Rory Ramsden (vc) and Dev Keil playing a major role in the teams’ performance. Other Dolphin juniors to represent included Under 18 women’s captain Serena Manssen, and Henry Willaton in under 14s.
The Saturday sees the senior matches return to Sunshine Beach when the Ray White Dolphins host University. The match is destined to be a tough test for both senior men’s teams, both the quality of the opposition and unavailability of key performers George Loose and Harry Wright. “This is our first match against University this year having had the first round washed out, so it will be a good gauge as to how we are travelling,“ said team manager Michael Phelan. “Our last two games have been our best and we will need to maintain that standard of we are to challenge Uni.“ University sits four points ahead of the Dolphins on the table and with the season in the latter stages, a victory will be essential for the Dolphins to advance up the ladder.
Saturday also sees the Dolphins recognise their sponsors in the annual sponsors day.
“Community clubs do not survive without the generosity of sponsors,“ president Chris Burton said.
“We have had so many long-time loyal sponsors, and this weekend is just a small way where we can say thank you for everything they do for us. After the match, we will have the big 6m x 4m screen up to show the British and Irish Lions test against the Wallabies, so we hope to get a big crowd to enjoy the days matches but then the seasons highlight of the once n 12 year Test match.“
Matches this weekend:
Friday night at Brothers: 7pm v Caloundra
Saturday v University at Sunshine Beach: 2pm Reserve Grade, 3.30pm A Grade.
