The Carina Tigers marched on with more points in the bag in the Brisbane Second Division Rugby League Premier Grade following a comprehensive victory over Valleys.
The Diehards were unable to handle the class and level of opposition, resulting in a 36-0 scoreline.
It could have been even higher at Leo Williamson Oval, except for some missed opportunities to score for the home side.
Carina’s Matt Craven and halfback David Browne were superb for the Tigers; while it was Craven’s centre partner Jade May-Hoy who started the ball rolling for his team; showing some incredible strength to help the Tigers crash over to score the first points of the game.
Browne’s superb left-foot kick nailed a tricky conversion to see the home side lead 6-0 early on.
Valleys looked anything but a side sitting in third spot with disorganisation and a lack of direction on the park turning to frustration for some players as they struggled to click on the field.
Tigers coach Chris Bird deserves praise for his impeccable game plan, which included one of the best defensive efforts witnessed all year. The Tigers pack wasn’t just great, they were absolutely brutal.
More home tries came at a rapid pace through fullback Keoa Moylan and winger Gideon Ota-A-Kii, the latter being a superb effort from Craven who threw a beautiful flick pass to the speedy flanker.
It got even better for the Tigers just before halftime when a superb side-stepping run by fullback Moylan saw the custodian lob a pinpoint pass to centre Craven. The powerful centre was no match for the tiring Valleys defence, easily crashing in beside the sticks to see the home side enjoy a 22-0 lead at the break.
Valleys started the second half a more rejuvenated side and it appeared that they had finally awoken from their nightmare first half, led by the impressive David Mayfield-Smith.
However, it didn’t take long for Carina to go for the throat again, scoring in the opening five minutes through centre May-Hoy, who collected another brilliant pass from Moylan to outpace his opposite number to score.
With Browne racking up the points with his trusty left boot, the home side appeared to be going for a mauling.
With Carina coach Bird strategically replacing his players to maintain the rage, it proved to be a masterstroke as second rower Tom Medcalf was rewarded for his outstanding support play and rammed his way through the Diehards defence to go over under the posts.
The Tigers had last say in the game through centre Craven, who again showed why he is in top form leading into the finals, with a blistering 50m run to slide in to score his double for the afternoon.
Final Score: Carina Tigers 36 Valleys Diehards 0
