On paper, the matchup between Goulburn and Young seemed heavily in Goulburn’s favour, with three wins and a draw to the Reds while the Yabbies had just the one win to their credit.

But on the paddock was another matter entirely.

Young dominated the first half and deprived Goulburn of possession.

The Reds barely touched the ball in the first ten minutes, and that lengthy spell in defence gave way to a glut of penalties and eventually resulted in two yellow cards against the home side for repeated infringements.

A better share of possession finally started to come Goulburn’s way but at half time, Goulburn was still in arrears to the tune of 14-5.

Coach Ben Pearson’s half-time speech focused on composure and energy, and it showed early signs of having an instant effect.

A quick try to Mat Spratley, his second of the day, closed the gap to just two points once converted.

But the Reds hadn’t entirely turned the corner and the Yabbies didn’t fold.  For whatever reason, the Reds struggled to take control.

Spratley eventually added another try to bring up the hat-trick, and Webber added two of his own in rapid succession for a healthy-looking 31-14 result.

While the Yabbies didn’t score in the second half, they were probably the more dominant team for the greater share of the game.

Despite the bonus point win, coach Pearson will have a few things to work on ahead of the club’s next encounter against the undefeated ADFA side at Goulburn next weekend.

The game also featured a few significant milestones.

Veteran player and second grade coach Sam Tabner notched up his 100th game for the club and Mik Webber brought up 2,000 first grade points for the Dirty Reds – a record for the Goulburn Rugby Club and quite likely a record for any player across NSW Country.

Goulburn 31 (Mat Spratley 3 tries, Mik Webber 2 tries, 3 conversions) def Young 14.