Redmen’s Brick Wall Defence

By Gary Nichols

It was arguably one of the best defensive efforts from a Redmen side in recent memory.

Down to 12-men at one stage during the match, Grafton held off wave after wave of Vikings attack to record a monumental 52-14 victory.

Grafton scored eight tries to two, however it was their ability to shut down Vikings in their red zone which impressed Redmen first grade coach Gary Powell.

“In the first half we were camped in our own half for long periods, and I thought our defence was unbelievable,” Powell said after the match.

“It was probably the best defensive effort I have seen here for a long time.”

The Redmen were reduced to 12 players after receiving one red and two yellow cards which could have resulted in a Vikings comeback, however, Grafton rallied to score two tries during that period.

“When we were down to 12 players, I was a little bit concerned,” Powell said.

“The players got around each other and stayed positive. That was the period of the game that won it for us…to score two tries was incredible.”

Redmen winger Anasa Tutu scored four tries, but it was rookie front-rower Kaden McCarthy who drew plenty of praise from his teammates and coach.

“As a front-rower, to play 80 minutes and score an awesome try with 10 minutes from fulltime was amazing,” Powell said.

“He never looked like slowing down. Hopefully that game takes him to another level.”

Grafton’s backline looked more settled and with centre pairing Wally Tau Vesi and Dylan Lewis proving a lethal combination.

“The backline is starting to gel. It was always going to take time,” Powell said.

“You can’t keep on bringing someone new in each week and expect things to click.

“Wally was devastating today with his running and at times looked like he was a level above the opposition.”