After losses in both grades on the road against Hall last weekend, and with the spectre of the thread-bare player numbers that haunted Goulburn in 2017, early indications were that it might be a long year for the Reds.

But Saturday’s victory was packed with many of the ingredients for a good season, including the ability to get off to a strong start, the composure to regain lost momentum and the strength to match it with a genuine competition contender.

Goulburn shot off to a promising start with a Michael Cudaj try on the board after just three minutes and one from skipper Jordan Wilcox six minutes later, both converted by Mik Webber.

The Reds’ intensity at the breakdown had notched up a few cogs from the previous week which was evident in Goulburn’s dominance, but also in the growing penalty count against Goulburn.

Riding back into the game on the back of that penalty count, Royals scored their first try to trail by seven points five minutes out from the break, and then equalised right on half time with a penalty try and a Goulburn player shown a yellow card.

Coach Ben Pearson cautioned the side on indiscipline at the break and the need to maintain their dominance, and the second half started as a carbon copy of the first with Cudaj crossing over in the opening minutes of the half.

Windy conditions cruelled the kicking game of both sides though and the two sides had to grind it out. Royals were not as shell-shocked as they were in the first stanza of play and kept within cooee of Goulburn throughout.

From 14-all, to 21-all, to 26-all, Goulburn and Royals were locked in a fierce contest before Adam Lachlan put Goulburn five ahead with three minutes left on the clock.

Even then the match was up for grabs until the final whistle, but Goulburn held on for the 31-26 bonus point win.

It was a welcome reversal of form for Goulburn from the corresponding round last year when Goulburn had only 15 players available to fill two sides against Royals at Phillip Oval. Having two full teams this weekend made a significant difference for first grade, particularly in the crucial final passages of play.

Best and fairest points went to Curtis Flood (3), Michael Cudaj (2) and Mikael Webber (1) with Jayden Hunt names Players Player.

Goulburn 31 (Michael Cudaj 2, Jordan Wilcox, Mik Webber, Adam Lachlan tries, Webber 3 conversions) bt Royals 26.

In reserve grade, the Goulburn Dirty Twos were less lucky, losing by 29-0.

It sounds a bit irrelevant to mention luck in a 29-0 scoreline, or biased to say that wasn't a genuine indication of the state of the match, but the result truly did hang in the balance for the first 50 minutes.

Royals hit a 7-0 lead 10 minutes into the match, and that was still the score forty minutes later.

Goulburn had the edge in the scrum although Royals had the better of line-outs and broken play. The Dirty Twos were poised to equalise at many stages and still seemed a good chance with twenty minutes remaining, but it was Royals that scored next. And then again. And then again. And then again.

In the end it was an emphatic win for Royals. From a strictly Goulburn point of view, there were many positives that should hold them in good stead as the season progresses, but it won’t all fall together on a Saturday if it hasn’t been prepared on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Best and fairest players were Monty Hicks (3), Jordan Lees (2), John Geroche (1) and Brad Muddiman (1). In his club debut, Hicks also picked up the players player award.