In the first week of finals football in the Hasting Deering Colts competition, the Mendi Blackhawks hosted the Redcliffe Dolphins at Jack Manski Oval.
The last time these two sides met was in Round 13, where the Mendi Blackhawks won by a field goal after a half-time comeback.
The Mendi Blackhawks got the first points on Saturday through halfback Thomas Duffy as he weaved through defenders to get over the line. Dylan White’s kick was successful, giving his team an early lead.
Duffy then quickly got a double in the space of two minutes after Jesse Yallop had a break down the sideline.
Mendi Blackhawks maintained the intensity as Ragarive Wavik scored in the corner to break through a tired Dolphins defence.
Redcliffe's Chayse Cavanagh left the field for a head injury assessment in the backend of the first half from heavy contact in a tackle.
Ali Leiataua was able to put points on the board for Redcliffe and the conversion attempt by Will Cahill was unsuccessful.
Match: Blackhawks v Dolphins
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Blackhawks
away Team
Dolphins
Venue: Jack Manski Oval, Townsville
The Dolphins were then able to close the margin as Leiataua scooped up a grubber to score, grabbing a double and the conversion was successful.
The Blackhawks were able to swing the momentum after forcing an error off the kick-off and giving captain Zac Laybutt a chance to score at the end of the first half.
The half-time score stood at 18-10 in favour of the Mendi Blackhawks.
The Dolphins came out firing in the second stanza, scoring the opening try through Cahill who ran through the defensive line. The conversion was successful.
The Mendi Blackhawks answered back through Jai Hansen scoring under the posts and the conversion was successful.
The Dolphins found an overlap for Marcus Spence to score in the corner and the conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
The Mendi Blackhawks' Jordan Lipp made the Dolphins pay for a loose ball, catching an intercept and running over half the field, pushing the home team's lead.
The Dolphins threw plenty at the Blackhawks, but strong defence proved to be the
difference.
Mendi Blackhawks' Marly Bitungane beat the tackles from his opposition scoring in the 77th minutes of the game, sealing the win for his team.
The final score concluded at 36-20 with the Mendi Blackhawks taking the victory.
The Blackhawks have a break next week before the preliminary game the following week.
