Round 16 Sunday wrap: Dolphins dominate in Liam Hampson Cup
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The Redcliffe Dolphins remain undefeated in the Liam Hampson Cup after dominating the Tweed Seagulls at Kayo Stadium on Sunday.
In an emotional celebration of Hampson's life, the Dolphins put in a strong performance on home turf to not only take the two points with a 58-12 scoreline, but to pay tribute to their former teammate.
Some of his closest friends wore their hearts on their sleeves, with both Brent Woolf and Sheldon Pitama explosive out of hooker in their rotations, while towering forward Jarrett Boland picked up players' player.
Dolphins NRL five-eighth Sean O'Sullivan meanwhile was voted the official player of the match.
While O'Sullivan did not know Hampson himself, he said that he understood the importance of the occasion and wanted to secure the win for his mates.
"It’s really special for me," O'Sullivan said.
"Some of my really closest mates were Hampo’s best mates. I was really excited for today because I know what this day means to both clubs.
"I know Hampo was a special person and he comes from a special family. Both teams really wanted to represent this day the best that they could and it was by playing hard, just like Hampo would have wanted.
"I’m very grateful because it will mean a lot to some of my special mates.
"Jarrett Boland was really close to him and yesterday after captain’s run he spoke about what a good person he was and his character.
"Just hearing stories about Liam all through the week and making sure his name lives on, it’s really special and unreal to be part of. I’m sure these days will keep getting bigger and bigger."
The first half started with a bit of back and forth between the two teams, with prop Jarrod Wallace crossing first for the home side.
Harry Croker responded for Tweed in the ninth minute before Wallace barged over again in the 18th minute.
From here the floodgates opened and Redcliffe ran in another eight tries while Tweed only managed one more four-pointer.
Wallace, Croker and Brenton Baira all finished with doubles while a determined Woolf also bagged a try in the 57th minute through a strong individual effort.
The win saw the Dolphins move into the top four, overtaking Wynnum Manly Seagulls following their loss to Sunshine Coast Falcons yesterday.
O'Sullivan said Redcliffe were building momentum at the right time of year.
Match: Dolphins v Seagulls
Round 16 -
home Team
Dolphins
4th Position
away Team
Seagulls
13th Position
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
"The last three weeks have been really good," O'Sullivan said.
"We’re really connecting on and off the field and it comes from playing together. We have a really good team but we’re very process-driven.
"It’s about taking each training session by the day and then our games on the weekend. We’re really coming together as a team and I love it."
Elsewhere on Sunday, Souths Logan Magpies halfback Brandon Finnegan helped his side to a crucial victory over the Brisbane Tigers, slotting a field goal with just three minutes left on the clock to claim a 27-26 win.
Match: Magpies v Tigers
Round 16 -
home Team
Magpies
11th Position
away Team
Tigers
9th Position
Venue: Davies Park, Brisbane
Forward Harry Walters also contributed heavily, scoring a hat-trick to get the Magpies the two points.
And in the final game of the round, the PNG Hunters held out an Ipswich Jets comeback to claim a 28-22 win in Ipswich.
Match: Jets v Hunters
Round 16 -
home Team
Jets
14th Position
away Team
Hunters
7th Position
Venue: North Ipswich Reserve, Ipswich
For replays of all Round 16 games, subscribe to Qplus.tv.
For a wrap of the Saturday matches, click here.
