Teenagers star on debut in 13-man ‘war’: Gold Coast District Rugby Union Round 2 breakdown

Forced defend with just 13 men on the field, two teenagers “went to war” in the most thrilling of first-grade debuts. CHECK OUT THE GCDRU ROUND 2 HIGHLIGHTS HERE >>

Forced defend with just 13 men on the field, Surfers Paradise skipper Alex Behns was left in awe of two teenagers who “went to war” in the most thrilling of first-grade debuts.

Flynn Carson and Dane Mason stepped up in the Dolphins forward pack, as a trio of yellow cards throughout their clash with Nerang kept the pressure on for 80 minutes.

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Nevertheless, courtesy of those gritty efforts in the middle of the field and the booming boot of Regan Gleeson, Surfers triumphed 23-22, with Behns left to praise the impact the club’s next generation had on the contest.

Alex Behns, pictured playing for Palm Beach-Currumbin, was full of praise for two Surfers Paradise teenage debutants. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS (GCDRU)

“I think Flynn has only just turned 18 and Dane is 18 or 19. Both of them really put their bodies on the line, they tackled really well and they carried the ball really well,” he said.

“They really stepped up and they didn’t miss a beat, and they showed a lot of heart, grit and determination.

“The fact that we only had 13 men and were able to hold them out, I think our set piece really helped us out with that. It gave us that confidence to be able to … win the ball back and punch the corner when we were down.

“All the guys went to war which I was really proud of.”

While they clawed their way to a clutch victory, Behns was left to lament the ill-discipline which he said they would not get away with against Griffith Uni Colleges this weekend.

The Knights have gone through the past two campaigns undefeated, and have won both their opening fixtures of 2022.

With two men in the sin bin at the same time, the Dolphins relied on the kicking game of fullback Gleeson, whose five goals and general play clearances proved pivotal.

One effort from 45m out from the posts was particularly impressive, and in the context of the match a play which stole the ascendancy back from the Bulls.

Regan Gleeson’s kicking game was pivotal in the Dolphins’ one-point win. Picture by Scott Fletcher (GCDRU)

“One of our objectives was no matter what, when we’re in their half, we come away with points. Regan is quite an accomplished kicker there, and definitely he got us over the line with his boot,” Behns said.

“He puts in a fair bit of work to make sure he gets those points. Between him and (fly-half) Donny (Ngwun) that was definitely one of our objectives on the weekend; try to punch corners and make them try to play out.

“(But) discipline really hurt us in the game, it’s definitely something that we’re going to work on over the next couple of weeks and make sure we know we can’t give away those kind of penalties against Knights.”

KNIGHTS STREAK CONTINUES

Not since the 2019 grand final have the Griffith Knights suffered defeat.

After falling to the Helensvale Hogs in the decider more than two years ago, the two-time defending champions have gone unbeaten and that streak continued on Saturday.

A 40-16 triumph over Gold Coast Eagles kept their run alive, with new coach Shaun Cole’s side returning to the dominance through the forwards which they were unable to completely showcase against Bond Pirates the week prior.

Eagles number 10 Tyler Wright attempted to keep his side in the contest off the kicking tee, booting three penalty goals while converting winger Brad Gordon’s try.

Former Southport flyer Tyler Wright tried to keep his Eagles side in the contest through his kicking game. Picture Glenn Hampson

However the Knights were able to share the load throughout their forwards, proving clinical in the middle of the field as five of their six tries came in the pack.

Originally published as Teenagers star on debut in 13-man ‘war’: Gold Coast District Rugby Union Round 2 breakdown