Central Queensland were beaten 36-16 by the Redcliffe Dolphins at Aurizon Stadium on Saturday, with a difficult opening half leaving the Capras too much ground to recover despite a stronger spell after the break.

The Dolphins controlled the early scoring and put the Capras under pressure almost immediately. Montel Lisala opened the scoring in the third minute, with Joshua James converting for a 6-0 lead.

Redcliffe extended the margin through Kyle Coghill in the 11th minute, before Sam Elliott crossed in the 20th. James converted Elliott’s try to push the Dolphins out to 16-0, giving the visitors clear control of the contest.

Lisala struck again in the 26th minute, crossing for his second try of the match and taking Redcliffe’s lead to 20-0. Central Queensland broke through in the 34th minute when Joshua Nilon crossed after a line break, cutting the margin to 20-4 at half-time.

Redcliffe hit first after the break through Riley Price, with James converting in the 46th minute to move the Dolphins ahead 26-4.

The Capras found their best attacking period soon after. John Fineanganofo crossed in the 50th minute after a line break, with Blake Moore converting to make it 26-10. Six minutes later, Riley Reid added another try for Central Queensland, and Moore’s second conversion brought the score back to 26-16.

That 12-point run gave the Capras a foothold in the match, but Redcliffe steadied late. Domenico De Stradis scored in the 64th minute, with James converting to push the margin back to 16 points. Jude Saldanha then crossed in the 75th minute to seal the result for the Dolphins.

The numbers reflected Redcliffe’s advantage across the match. The Dolphins finished with 56 per cent possession, 1,312 run metres to Central Queensland’s 904, and eight line breaks to four. They also had 45 tackle breaks, while the Capras missed 45 tackles across a heavy defensive workload.

For Central Queensland, Nilon finished with a try and a team-high 29 tackles, while Khaiya Waiembi led the Capras for run metres with 113. Fineanganofo produced two line breaks and a try from the interchange bench, while Reid added a second-half try and 85 metres from 11 runs.

Moore converted two of Central Queensland’s three tries, but the Dolphins’ fast start and stronger running game proved decisive as the visitors left Aurizon Stadium with the Round 10 win.