Sunshine Coast Falcons put Western Clydesdales to the sword with emphatic win

13 tries, a sin bin and countless pieces of individual brilliance - the Western Clydesdales’ clash with the Sunshine Coast Falcons had it all. Check out the biggest talking points from the game here.

Taniela Otukolo of the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography.

The Western Clydesdales suffered a heavy 52-22 defeat to the Sunshine Coast Falcons in a rainy clash on Saturday night.

The game featured non-stop drama with an astonishing 13 tries scored and a sin bin in an action-packed 80 minutes.

Check out the main talking points from the game below.

Fast start

In what has become a common trend for the Clydesdales throughout the season, Jason Alchin’s side started strongly with a try after less than four minutes.

The opening try of the game came from just the Clydesdales’ second set of the contest and their first set in attacking position.

In a testament to their ability to hit the ground running, the Clydesdales have scored their first try of the game inside the opening 10 minutes in five of their last seven games.

Lopeti Mafi of the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography.

Clydesdales made to pay for first-half mistakes

After hitting the front early, the Clydesdales’ lead did not last long and they will be left ruing their own mistakes which led to the tries.

The first two Falcons tries came off the back of Clydesdales errors in their own half, with Sunshine Coast executing their attacks in lethal fashion.

Those two tries completely changed the momentum of the game and the hosts were on top for the remainder of the contest.

The Clydesdales will also look back at a try which came on the final play of the first half as a moment which further prevented any chance of a comeback.

Alchin’s side trailed 22-10 but had possession inside the Falcons 10m line, however, a poor pass led to an easy interception and the hosts ran the length of the field to make it a three-score game.

While it was the first half errors which hurt the most as it was what allowed Sunshine Coast to build up a margin, the Clydesdales did themselves no favours throughout the entire contest as they had a completion rate of just 60 per cent.

Young centre finding form

He may only be in his first year of Hostplus Cup football, but Clydesdales young centre Levi Helleur-Atiga has several teams on notice after another solid performance.

The 23-year-old scored his second double in as many games and has now crossed over for six tries this season, including five in his last five matches.

Corey Fenning in action for the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

While the Clydesdales backs lack experience, they have been electric in attack, with Esom Ioka, Kaden Buhse, Corey Fenning and Fua Schwalger all making an impact throughout the season.

Falcons a class above in attack

Much like the Clydesdales’ clash with the Northern Pride last week, the Falcons were simply on another level in attack with several linebreaks and strong sets.

The Falcons averaged 41.81m per set - 7.2 more than the Clydesdales - and made 28 tackle breaks and seven linebreaks.

While Sunshine Coast was an unstoppable freight train in attack, there were still positive signs for the Clydesdales in possession as they crossed over for four tries.

They have scored 22 points or more in five of their last seven games and have averaged close to 24 points per game since that breakthrough win against Redcliffe in round 8.