A strong second half from the Redcliffe Dolphins saw them claim the two points over the Western Clydesdales at Kayo Stadium.
Fullback Trai Fuller was as dangerous as always for the Dolphins, scoring two tries; and not to be outdone, halfback Cody Hunter also scored a double.
“Very grateful to get the win,” Hunters said.
“Sloppy first half… we probably didn’t get to the spots where we wanted to… bit soppy in attack. Second half was way better from us.
“The Clydesdales are a tough side. They’ve have been competitive all year and last week they proved that against Souths, so we knew it was going to be a hard grind. But yeah, we got the job done in the end.”
Hunter said Fuller was the standout performer for his side in Round 12.
“Trai Fuller, he’s a freak.” Hunter said.
“Everything he does is… I don’t know how he does it. He’s little but he just breaks that line every time.”
Dolphins coach Ben Te’o said it was “pretty messy, pretty wet” game.
“They were a tough team,” Te’o said.
“We started slow so I can only talk about people in the second half. Trai Fuller, he was pretty good in the second half. Ryan Jackson had a really good game.
“We’ve just got to learn how to start a game properly. We just can’t do it at the moment. There’s a lot to work on.”
Clydesdales prop Blake Lenehan said it was a “frustrating, tough” loss for his side.
“The last three weeks we’ve been really in the game with those top sides and then we just go to sleep and stop playing footy,” Lenehan said.
“I don’t know… we get in the front, we score points and then we just let the foot off the throat… we really need to stay in these games and keep putting them on.
“We’re a competitive side and I think everyone in the comp knows that… we’re a tough team. It’s just we’re playing ourselves out of the game and those repeat sets of six… we’re just killing ourselves out there really. We’re our own worst enemy.”
Lenehan said second rower Hnaloan Budden was “going really well” and fullback Jordan Lipp was “killing it”.
“Our back five are doing a really good job in attack for us and they’re laying a good platform… off the back we can score points for showing it, it’s just those lapses in defence,” Lenehan said.
“Next week we’ve got PNG… they’re a really hard side, we had them in Round 1.
“I think we’ve just got to compete… they’re going to roll us up the middle. Be tight. We know what to expect of those boys. So, I think if we tighten up our defence, I think if we can win that, we’ll get it over them. We can score points.”
Elsewhere, PNG Hunters scored six tries to Tweed Seagulls’ two in Port Moresby, to claim a Round 12 win.
Blake Mozer scored a double in South Logan Magpies’ win over Burleigh Bears. h
Wynnum Manly Seagulls beat Townsville Blackhawks, with prop Jack Martin scoring a double for Wynnum Manly.
Mackay Cutters won their first game of the 2023 season against Sunshine Coast Falcons.