Recap

Slow start stymies Reds v Royals

By Chris Gordon

It was Deja Vu all over again for the Goulburn Dirty Reds first grade side as a slow start hindered their chances in their 43-28 loss to Royals.

As has been the case in many games this year, the Reds were the stronger performing side in the second half after too big a lead in the first half.

The two sides scored tit for tat tries in the 7th and 9th minutes with skipper Eric Brown crossing for Goulburn and Brandon Courts converting, but from there, traffic was one way for the first half.

With a slight win at their back, Royals ran in three converted tries kicked a penalty goal for a safety buffer for a 31-7 half-time lead before Goulburn switched on.

Goulburn outscored Royals 3 tries to 2 in the second half (Michael Cooke 2 and Dallas Brown 1, both converted by Courts), and as the Goulburn points mounted, the Royals discipline dissolved. The referee was forced to frequently warn Royals players for dissent before finally giving a yellow card that was upgraded to a red following still more dissent.

The frustrating part of that is, if the scoreboard pressure had been applied earlier to Royals, that slip in confidence and discipline may have resulted in a very different outcome.

Nonetheless, it was a well-deserved win by Royals.

Slow starts remain a real problem for Goulburn. That they typically dig deep and often outperform their opponents in each second half is commendable, but chasing down a scoreboard has just been making the task that much harder.

Goulburn remains a mathematical chance of making the semis. The fourth placed team, Tuggeranong, has 21 points. If Goulburn can win each of the three remaining games with a bonus point, they will also be on 21 points. BUT… Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and Queanbeyan all need to lose all of their remaining games. 

The remaining section of the journey starts with a match against top placed Wests at Jamison Oval next weekend.

Royals 43 bt Goulburn 28 (Michael Cooke 2, Dallas Brown, Eric Brown tries; Brandon Courts 4 conversions).

Best & Fairest Points:

3 – Henry Cooper
2 – Eric Brown
1 – Campbell Kruger

Players’ Player:

Henry Cooper

By the Clock:

9 mins – Royals converted try (0-7)
11 mins – Eric Brown try, Brandon Courts conv (7-7)
16 mins – Royals conv try (7-14)
23 mins – Royals conv try (7-21)
30 mins – Royals conv try (7-28)
35 mins – Royals penalty goal (7-31)

37 mins – Michael Cooke, Courts conv (14-31)
39 mins – Royals conv try (14-38)
47 mins – Dallas Brown try, Courts conv (21-38)
63 mins – Michael Cooke try, Courts conv (28-38)
68 mins – Royals conv try (28-45)