The Dolphins kicked off their NRLQ Under 20's campaign with an 18-point victory over the Titans in the series-opening game at CBUS Super Stadium last Saturday.
The game got underway, with Dolphins captain Lewis Symonds setting the tone from the kick-off with a galloping carry into the defensive line. Both sides tested each other's early game plan with hard running through the middle of the park and strong defensive displays in the challenging wet conditions.
The Dolphins lost winger LJ Nonu to a leg injury in the 10th minute, forcing Head Coach Scott Murray to make an early change, reshuffling his back line and bringing on Kilarney Lavender to fill the void.
Neither team relented in the opening twenty minutes, with the ball moving from end to end without a score. Dolphins Centre James Walsh eventually broke the deadlock, stepping inside his defender wide on the left-hand side of the field for the Dolphins to lead 4-0.
The Titans responded quickly, mounting consecutive attacking sets within twenty metres of the try line, testing the Dolphins' goal line defence, who were able to repel multiple attempts to score.
The wet conditions proved challenging for the Dolphins, with multiple handling errors handing possession back to the Titans. Most notably, when Titans bench forward Taylan To'a stripped the ball early in a Dolphins' attacking set to run away and score, seeing the them take a 6-4 lead with 5 minutes to play in the first half.
The toll of consecutive defensive sets for the Dolphins opened the door for the Titans to strike again before the half. Thanks to the speed of the Titans' backline, Fullback Raymond Puru scored his side's second try in 4 minutes, with the first half closing under a Titans lead of 12-4.
The second half started in a similar fashion, with the Titans extending their lead even further thanks to second-rower Lukji Yloi finding the try line in the 42nd minute. Pushing the scoreline to 16-4, the Titans appeared to be taking a commanding control of the game.
However, it wasn't long before the Dolphins found their groove moving the ball effectively with quick play balling before Halfback Noah Fien initiated a play that saw winger Callum Bowles score in the right-hand corner. Converting his own try, Bowles narrowed the deficit to 6 points.
Although the Titans briefly reestablished a 12-point lead at 22-10 with a try from Oscar Laffranchi, the Dolphins began to dominate defensively, controlling the game and converting their attacking opportunities into points.
Starting with Captain Lewis Symonds scoring after gathering a loose ball from an aerial contest on the try line, the Dolphins scored five tries in the final 19 minutes of the game.
Following Symonds's effort, a Fien try and Bowles conversion equalised the game for the first time since nil all. Another two James Walsh tries would see him finish the game with a hat-trick. But it was Brooklyn Sabine who wowed the crowd, catching an errant Titans kick while defending the goal line, breaking through the defence to run 90 metres and score.
At the full-time siren, the Dolphins secured victory thanks to 36 points scored in the second half, finishing 40-22.
Speaking immediately post-game, Dolphins Head Coach Scott Murray was pleased with the result but acknowledged his side had some key areas to improve, but worked hard to secure the result.
"We've had a couple of good weeks training, but a lot of new faces that we've put together for the squad has its challenges; the first half was clunky at times", said Murray.
"In the second half, we started to show what we could do; we took our opportunities when they were there, and that was off the back of all the hard work the boys were doing defending their goal line."
The Dolphins will now shift their focus to next Saturday, June 7, when they head to Townsville to take on the Cowboys in Round 2 of the NRLQ.
