WALLUMBILLA-SURAT have smashed the Mitchell Magpies in all but one grade in what was a happy away trip for the Red Bulls.

But the men in maroon were left red-faced in the under-18s, as the Magpies flew away with a 34-22 win.

Cohen Anderson ran in four tries while Richard Meacle kept up the defence with “great tackles” in the middle, according to Mitchell coach Geoffrey Kenafake.

Kenafake welcomed the success of the boys but said there was still room for improvement.

“The game went all right but they slacked off at the end and let the Bulls get away with a few tries. Other than that, there’s a need for more combinations,” he said.

“It’s been a good season and I reckon they’ll be there at the back end if we keep the players in the park.”

Despite the success of the U18s, the Magpies A-grade side went down 48-16, with the Red Bulls exposing costly mistakes by running in soft tries.

Red Bulls coach Justin Washington said it was a good indication how his side was performing in the season.

“First half was a bit ordinary – low completion rates – but that picked up in the second half after we gained a bit of momentum,” he said.

“It’s looking to be a positive season for all of us, with plenty of players and good co-ordination between all our teams.”

In the face of several setbacks for the season, Kenafake said the team was still performing admirably under the circumstances.

“I thought we went all right until half-time, then a couple of injuries and fitness came back to bite us with the game,” he said.

“There were a few stupid mistakes; some easy ball turnovers, lack of talking and defence cost us the match.

“We can only go upwards in these matches.”