Central Queensland Capras were beaten 36-22 by the Brisbane Tigers in Round 2 of the Hostplus Cup, with a damaging first half proving too much to reel in despite a strong second-half fightback.

The Capras struck first through Malachi Dumas in the third minute, with Trey Brown converting for an early 6-0 lead, but the match quickly turned. Brisbane responded with six first-half tries and built a 28-6 advantage by the break, taking control with a flood of points across the middle stages of the half.

Zacariah Miles crossed twice as the Tigers hit back, before further first-half tries to Clay Webb, Samuela Vakadula, Leon Te Hau and Esom Ioka widened the margin. Jarrett Subloo landed two conversions as Brisbane turned an early deficit into a commanding lead.

The scale of that first-half damage was reflected in the broader numbers. While the Capras finished with more possession and more time in possession, the Tigers held the edge in run metres, line breaks and set distance, running for 1,387 metres to 1,177 and producing eight line breaks to four. Brisbane also averaged 38.54 metres per set to the Capras’ 30.18.

To their credit, the Capras responded strongly after half-time. Bob Tenza crossed early in the second half, with Brown converting, before Dumas grabbed his second of the afternoon to cut the margin further. When Cooper Marshall scored in the 57th minute and Brown added the extras, the Capras had trimmed the deficit to 28-22 and shifted the momentum.

That was the key swing in the contest. After conceding six first-half tries, Central Queensland put together three unanswered tries to get within six points and force their way back into the game.

The Tigers, though, steadied at the right time. Zane Dunford crossed in the 65th minute to push the margin back out to 32-22, before Kea Pere added a late try to seal the result.

Dumas finished with two tries for the Capras, while Tenza and Marshall also crossed. Brown kicked three conversions from four attempts. Among the Capras’ individual contributors, Nixon Putt led the side with 154 run metres, Tane Kiriona made 30 tackles, and Marshall produced two line breaks.

For the Capras, the result was shaped by the contrast between the two halves. They had enough ball and mounted a genuine challenge after the break, but Brisbane’s first-half scoring burst left too much ground to recover.