Recap

Reds bring the heat in frosty encounter

By CHRIS GORDON

It was cold enough to freeze the walls of a grass humpy but the Goulburn Workers Club Dirty Reds seemed impervious as they accounted for RMC by 41-0.

In one of the coldest rugby days of the year, each side had to produce their own fire. Both sides had plenty to play for. For Goulburn, a top two spot that would be a bonus through the playoffs – for RMC, their final shot at a finals spot.

Goulburn had won the previous encounter between the sides by 20-5 at GIO Stadium earlier this year. It was, at the time, one of Goulburn’s best performances of the season but the Reds struggled at times to maintain that form in the following weeks.

Last week’s win over Uni-Norths was probably the side’s best performance since that GIO Stadium match, and this week was even better.

Goulburn’s hunger and determination was evident throughout. Goulburn had the edge in all facets of play and RMC were finding it tough to find their way back into the game.

Only leading by 12-0 at half time, the Reds were nonetheless in the driver’s seat but coach Ben Pearson asked them to lift their intensity and they delivered.

A potentially serious injury to an RMC player early in the second half held up play for a while but when play finally resumed, Goulburn put the hammer down.

Controlled and repeated phases presented a glut of possession which paved the way for the Reds to chance their hands.

After notching up two tries in the first half, the Reds ran in five in the reduced second half, including three to winger Matt Spratley. In the process, Spratley broke the club’s record of tries per season, which stood at 21 and was set by Mik Webber in 2009.

In fact it was a game for milestones with skipper Jordan Wilcox playing his 100^th first grade game and the club’s highest point scorer, Mik Webber, joining the very small handful of players to have played 250 games for the club.

The match was, in the end, what Pearson asked of them at the end of last week’s match… take another step up, lift a little more each game. While there’s work to be done and no room for complacency, it was a heartening win and the Reds are hitting their straps at the right time.

Next weekend Goulburn will play Queanbeyan at Queanbeyan in the final round of the home and away season.

Best and fairest points went to Mik Webber (3), Jordan Wilcox (2) and Jordan Lees (1) with Matt Spratley named Players’ Player.

Goulburn 41 (Matt Spratley 3, Mik Webber, Jordan Wilcox, Brad Clements, Connor Ferguson tries, Webber 3 conversions) bt RMC 0.

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