In Round 2 of the NRLQ, the Dolphins were on the road for the second week, defeating the Cowboys by 22 points at the Townsville Sports Reserve.
The Dolphins started the game with an immediate field position advantage following a penalty shortly after receiving the kickoff. Attacking the opposition's goalline, Five-eighth Lachlan Buchbach avoided multiple defenders to spread the ball wide, finding James Walsh to score the opening try of the match in the second minute to lead 4-0.
Both sides traded blows early in the game, going back and forth amidst a growing penalty count in favour of the Cowboys.
The Dolphins established an early defensive dominance, preventing the Cowboys from scoring twice, including when Fullback Seth Carpenter put Cowboys winger Cohen Dittmann into touch just before the tryline, after Dittmann beat two Dolphins defenders to streak down the sideline.
The Dolphins were then able to move the ball the length of the field in the next set, setting up front-rower Patrick Kailahi to barge over and score under the goal posts, with teammate Callum Bowles converting the try for the Dolphins to lead 10-0.
Two further penalties saw the Cowboys once again within 20 metres of the Dolphins' goal line, but the strong Dolphins' defence rebuffed their advances, with winger LJ Nonu intercepting the ball 5 metres from his own tryline to run 95 metres and score his side's third try.
The Dolphins would consolidate their lead on the back of quick ball playing through the middle of the park before a great connection from Lachlan Buchbach to Brooklyn Sabine saw the Halfback break the line with a dummy and speed to streak away to score. A successful conversion saw the half ending 20-0 in favour of the Dolphins despite the numerous errors and penalties against them.
On the first set of the second half, Dolphins Forward Shaun Elara came from the ground with what appeared to be an arm injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the game. Elara's presence in the middle of the field had been a big reason for the Dolphins' dominance in the first half.
The Dolphins continued to attack the middle of the Cowboys' defensive line, winning field position off quick runs from the likes of James Walsh, Zach Garton, and Braelan Marsh.
Numerous errors from both teams saw the ball change hands multiple times in a frantic 10-minute period midway through the second half, where neither team was able to complete a set.
Ultimately, it was the Cowboys who steadied themselves from this untidy period, securing their first points of the game, with prop Mafiou Cherif crashing over, and a successful conversion narrowing the Dolphis' lead to 20-6.
The Cowboys continued to attack, with Cohen Dittmann coming down with the ball to score in a scrappy aerial duel at the Dolphins' goal line. With 14 minutes remaining in the match, the Dolphins' lead had been halved, 20 to 10.
The Dolphins continued to suffer from handling errors, with the Cowboys capitalising on a shift in momentum to gain a better field position.
However, under the calming control of dummy-half Brealan Marsh, the Dolphins mounted an attacking raid that saw them move down the field with speed, finishing with James Walsh willing himself to the try line as three defenders hung onto him. The Dolphins led 24-10 with 8 minutes to play.
An error on the ensuing kickoff handed the Cowboys the ball 10 metres out from the Dolphins' goal line, but to no avail, as a double movement penalty handed possession back to the Dolphins.
In a similar fashion to their last attacking set, the Dolphins moved quickly down the field, finishing with Reeco Kirk collecting his own kick to score his side's sixth try of the match and the Dolphins taking their largest lead of the day, with the game finishing 32-10.
Dolphins Head Coach Scott Murray was pleased to see his side secure another victory off the back of some strong defensive work.
"We certainly made some steps in the right direction around what we wanted to do defensively", said Murray.
"One of our goals was just to be more physical, which was evident from the start, and we defended our goal line well when we needed to"
He also acknowledged that his side gave away too many penalties and made errors, which didn't put as much pressure on the opposition as he would have liked, and is an area the team can work on.
When asked about individual performances, Murray praised the work of hooker Braelan Marsh, who he also coached in this year's Mal Meninga Cup for the Redcliffe Dolphins, winning the side's best and fairest award.
"He is a sharp player, getting out of hooker and identify when a player is on the ground.
"It was one of the best games he's had this year; he can change the momentum of the game, which is a pretty special asset to have."
All NRLQ teams will now have a two-week break before games resume later in June. The Dolphins currently hold an outright lead in the competition, occupying the top spot on the ladder. They will return to the field on June 29th, where they will face the Broncos at Kougari Oval in Wynnum for Round 3 of the NRLQ series.
