The Warwick Gardens Galore Redbacks found themselves out played by the young, hard running University Cougars team their opening game of the 2022 season last weekend.
The Cougars got away to a flyer and held a 20-point lead in the first quarter while the home side failed to trouble the scoreboard attendant.re
The Redbacks had a better for the home side as the midfield began to get the ascendency thanks to some brilliant ruck work by young James Fern and the margin was cut to 10 points at the main break.
The third quarter developed into a real arm wrestle. The Cougars had the benefit of the breeze but strong defensive play from the Andrew Bardsley and Jack Drewery kept the Redbacks in the hunt. They trailed by 18 points going into the final term.
The final quarter was again another tough contest as Brendan Iles wound back the clock. He provided some strong marking options, but the Redbacks couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard. They kicked two and three behinds in the final quarter to USQ’s two goals one behind and fell 16 points short in the season opener.
For the first time in his decorate career, Brendan Iles was awarded the ANZAC Medal for best on ground after his strong marking performance provided plenty of drive and scoring opportunities.
The Redbacks will be back in action this weekend and looking to bounce back when they play the Toowoomba Tigers at Rockville Oval this weekend.
