For nearly an hour on Saturday afternoon, the Redcliffe Dolphins looked unstoppable. Then everything nearly unravelled.
A blistering first-half attacking blitz set up a commanding lead before a tense final half-hour saw the Dolphins secure a vital victory, defeating the Townsville Blackhawks 28–14 at Kayo Stadium on March 14, in Round 2 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.
The win snapped Redcliffe’s two-game losing streak and reinforced the club’s strong home record, while Townsville’s difficult run continued after entering the contest on a four-game losing streak that equalled the worst stretch in club history.
Rivalry Context
The matchup arrived with genuine intrigue.
Townsville held a narrow historical edge in the rivalry, leading the head-to-head eight wins to seven with two draws, although the Dolphins had claimed the previous two meetings between the sides.
Matches at Kayo Stadium between the teams have also been tight historically, with the previous three encounters producing one win each and a draw.
But from the moment Redcliffe found its attacking rhythm on Saturday, the Dolphins seized control of the contest.
Dolphins Explode After Scrappy Start
The opening minutes were messy.
Both teams struggled to complete early sets as handling errors disrupted the flow of the game.
Then Redcliffe struck.
Second-rower Sam Elliott sliced through the defensive line to create the opening try for halfback Joshua James, who crossed in the eighth minute to give the Dolphins the early lead.
From that moment, the Dolphins’ attack exploded.
Within a devastating 18-minute period, Redcliffe blew the game open:
• 7th minute — Joshua James try after Elliott’s line break
• 18th minute — Riley Price try after bursting through the line
• 21st minute — Michael McGrath try from another clean break
• 35th minute — Kyle Coghill try to cap a dominant half
With James converting three of the four tries, the Dolphins marched into halftime with a commanding 22–0 lead.
Elliott Leads the Charge
While the Dolphins’ spine directed the attack, forward Sam Elliott delivered one of the game’s most influential performances.
The powerhouse back-rower finished with:
• 200 run metres
• Two line breaks
• 62 post-contact metres
• Match-high fantasy points
His relentless running created momentum and helped Redcliffe finish the match with a 7–2 advantage in line breaks, the single biggest statistical difference between the sides.
Price Anchors the Defence
Defensively, Riley Price was immense for the Dolphins, finishing with a match-high 34 tackles.
While Elliott generated attacking momentum, Price’s defensive workload repeatedly shut down Townsville’s attempts to build pressure through the middle.
James Seals the Lead
The Dolphins pushed their advantage immediately after halftime.
A Jordan Plath line break created the opening for Joshua James to score his second try in the 47th minute, extending the lead to 28–0 and seemingly putting the game beyond reach.
For nearly 50 minutes the Dolphins looked untouchable. Then the momentum flipped.
Blackhawks Launch Comeback
With possession shifting their way and Redcliffe’s discipline slipping, Townsville suddenly found life.
The Blackhawks struck three times in a strong 17-minute period:
• 52nd minute — Fua Schwalger try
• 56th minute — Edward Hampson try after breaking through the line
• 69th minute — Dudley Dotoi try to close the gap to 28–14
Suddenly the Dolphins’ earlier dominance looked fragile.
Townsville had momentum, territory and possession.
Late Chaos
The closing minutes became a defensive grind.
Redcliffe’s discipline faltered as penalties began stacking up before forward Sebastian Su’a was sin-binned and placed on report in the 76th minute, leaving the Dolphins to defend the final stages with 12 players.
Moments later, hooker Brent Woolf was also placed on report following a late tackle as tensions escalated late in the match.
But despite the pressure, the Blackhawks could not find another try.
The Dolphins held on.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The statistics underline just how unusual the match was.
Townsville controlled more possession and completed their sets far more efficiently, finishing with an 82 percent completion rate compared to Redcliffe’s 64 percent.
The Blackhawks also held 53 percent possession and more time with the ball.
But the Dolphins delivered the moments that mattered.
Redcliffe averaged 41.21 metres per set compared with Townsville’s 36.73, repeatedly winning the territory battle even while making more mistakes.
The Dolphins also generated the match’s most dangerous attacking plays, producing seven line breaks to Townsville’s two.
Ladder Implications
The result carries important early-season implications.
For Redcliffe, the win halts a worrying slide after consecutive losses and keeps the Dolphins in the early-season mix as the ladder begins to take shape after two rounds.
The victory also strengthens their strong home record, with Redcliffe having now won three of their past four games at Kayo Stadium.
For Townsville, the loss deepens a difficult stretch that began before the season, extending a run of defeats that has now placed pressure on the Blackhawks early in the 2026 campaign.
The Takeaway
This was far from a perfect performance from Redcliffe.
The Dolphins finished with 15 errors and nine penalties conceded, numbers that will concern the coaching staff against stronger opposition.
But rugby league games are often decided in short bursts of brilliance.
On Saturday afternoon at Kayo Stadium, the Dolphins produced a devastating first-half blitz that gave them just enough breathing room to survive the storm that followed.
Published 15-March-2026
